#sometimes your dragon is shaped like a noodle

[arwcn]

oh, caraxes? i call him mister linguini but go on

[zeldaelmo]

Congratulations on your two milestones!

Have fun:

“What do you mean you ate it?”

Hey B! Thank you for your prompt! This was fun. 😆 Thank you @flutefemme for betareading!

Imagine Link speed ran both games for this. He didn't do the tears quest apart from the one Impa half-dragged him into. Crack fic, kinda, takes place after the ending.

Of Rocks

Link peeks into the cooking pot and then back at Zelda who sits on a log and scribbles furiously in a notebook. He speaks up anyway; she usually gives him her attention if he keeps talking. Old habit from when he hardly got words out.

“I'll have to admit, I was a little confused earlier, you know, back with Rauru and… his wife. What did you say was her name?” He shakes his head to himself. Sometimes he thinks his memory took more damage than they thought.

“Sonia,” Zelda breathes absently and continues taking notes.

“Yeah, Sonia. Anyway, maybe you can tell me more about this Light Dragon thing.”

That makes her look up. She rubs her ink-stained fingers at each other, frowning when he underlines his words with the sign for ‘noodle’. Another old habit.

“Did it… swallow you?" he asks. "Kinda like the Calamity?”

The fire under the cooking pot pops and Zelda sighs like she always does when he brings stray animals home or weapons that are too good to be tossed away (they are!).

“You didn’t search for the geoglyphs, did you? Just like you ignored the pictures on the slate the first time. I even made them easier to find this time, they’re glowing in the dark and all.”

He narrows his eyes on her. “Zelda. You fell into the abyss when we accidentally stumbled over the mummy of the Demon King. You were gone. Poof, swallowed by golden light. So, no, I didn’t feel like searching for anything but you.”

She stares at him for a moment, but then she puts her notebook aside, and faces him fully. “The secret stone here”—she taps the golden, tear-shaped gem on her necklace—”it amplifies the powers of the wielder. It can also be used to perform a forbidden ritual that turns the wielder into a dragon who isn’t bound to the limits of time. Performing that ritual was the only way to heal the sword for you.” Her gaze searches the small clearing where they’ve set up camp on their way to Hateno. It's not far from where they fell from the sky.

Link points his thumb in the general direction behind him where the sword leans against his pack. “I got it, no worries. Didn’t forget how mad you were the last time when I rushed to the castle with a soup ladle.” He lifts the stew-covered one currently in his hand for good measure. Then, he mulls over what she said and tries to piece it together with the strange things that happened in the sky. Or realm. Might as well have been a different realm with the clouds, the hovering, and all that. He stirs the soup, watching her through his lashes. “So, the Light Dragon, that was you?”

“Yes.”

Now that answer came quicker than he had expected. “Huh.” He scratches his head. “So, the other dragons, Naydra, Dinraal, and Farore…”

“Were once priestesses who swallowed a secret stone to guard the springs eternally, yes.”

“Wait.” He leans the ladle against the brim of the pot and frowns.

“What do you mean, you ate it?”

“Well, it’s part of the ritual.” She crosses her arm in front of her, voice growing impatient.

Yes, yes, he should have tried to find more of the geo-thingies. They would probably have explained everything, but they've been through this before; he doesn't feel like dabbling when her life is on the line. And he didn't even have amnesia this time!

“So when you eat a stone that's fine but when I do it, you get mad?”

She blinks and blinks and blinks. He clicks his tongue. Seems like she has been mad at him so often that she can’t even remember it.

“Goronia,” he jogs her memory.

“Oh!” she calls and leaps up, the notebook toppling into the grass. “Oh, now that was completely different!”

“Is it now? You ate rocks, I ate rocks. Seems pretty similar to me,” Link says, unwrapping a dark clump directly in front of her eyes. His little diversionary tactic nearly works out when he drops it into the cooking pot and the whole content shifts to a dark blue, but she shakes off the urge to investigate.

“You ate the rock roast for sports. For me, there was no alternative to this measurement. I took the risk of losing myself entirely to give you a fighting chance!”

“Well, I saved diplomatic relationships with the Gorons, as you surely remember. And just for the record, it was a Rock Roast Flambé.”

“You are ridiculous and you know it.”

“Ridiculous, huh? The Princess of Hyrule causing a scandal by refusing to eat traditional food prepared especially for her? I saved your ass back then.” By now, he can’t help the grin tugging at his lips. Her eyes flash dangerously when he passes her a bowl of dark soup. "What?" He laughs. "It's true and you know it. Just admit that you're just as unhinged as I am."

"It was a sacrifice," she insists, blowing over her spoonful of blue soup. "For Hyrule. And you. Although you make me second-guess myself about the latter."

"Ah, come on. You seemed pretty happy to see me earlier although it has hardly been two weeks."

"Two we—" she starts, her spoon freezing mid-air and soup dripping back into her bowl.

"I know, I know, last time I only needed a couple of hours after I woke up. Rauru kept holding me back. Tricked me into thinking you were at the sky island."

"Well," she deadpans. "It sure felt like an eternity for me."

He knows he's missing something with the way she chuckles dryly, but she'll bring it up again later. He'll feel stupid for the things he said, then, but she says it's part of his charm, so he doesn't mind.

They eat in amicable silence, fire cracking and soup simmering. Farore buzzes in the distance, climbing the skies at her own, leisurely pace. Link's gaze follows her for a while, but then he turns back to Zelda.

"Did you chew it?!"

"Link!!!!!!"

[f4lse--real1ty]

Hello! I saw you write for Ninjago AND Monkie Kid! So I was wondering if you could write lloyd and cole x a reader/ S/O who's basically Mei from Monkie Kid head cannons? (Part of the west dragon sea clan and has the Samadhi Fire in them) If not that's ok! Thank you have a great day!

-- Emo Anon 🖤

Oh OFC!!! I've been waiting for something like this lol

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Story Info:

Reader Gender: Gender Neutral

Characters: Lloyd and Cole

TW/CW: Reader questioning their self-worth for a little bit and a little bit of cursing (Also a lot of gifs)

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- Noodle Dragon -

(omg look at my daughter.)

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-- Lloyd --

Oh wow.

Green.....

No but seriously he loves the green dyed part of your hair

Lots of teasing from the other ninjas

"Wow Lloyd, you both have green parts. You really are soulmates~"

"Ooooh~"

That one "shut the f- up" face is given by Lloyd

When you showed him your dragon form, he couldn't help but awe at the noodle form of your dragon

"Awwwwww babe! You look so cute!"

You pulled out your phone and texted Nya

"About to beat up Lloyd, come record bestie."

"OMG YES ON MY WAY RN"

Let's just say he didn't have a really good day after that

Now regarding the Samadhi fire.

You were always insecure and now that you're dating the Green Ninja, you became even more insecure due to not fully being able to control your newfound power

He doesn't mind your fire at all, if you get insecure, he'll kiss you all over until you're both in a giggling fit

"What if I can't control it? What if I hurt you-"

*smooch*

"I know you won't. I love you so much."

Whenever you get pissed off, he doesn't believe he's in real life because of how chill you usually are

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Bonus:

Him reacting to you beating up the villain(s)

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but ngl he kinda thinks it's hot (pun intended)

He'll go up to you after you finish beating the villain(s) up/after the fight and attempt to calm you down (lots of teasing from the team)

"C'mon honey, we won. It's ok now."

He holds your hands, he doesn't care if he gets 3rd degree burns, love makes you crazy, right?

After you calm down and start smiling again, he'll kiss your cheek and walk you home to the monastery

He doesn't mind your outbursts; he knows you didn't ask your great x100 to take that part of the Samadhi fire

Overall loves you very much <3

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-- Cole --

He really loves your dragon form

Noodle shaped dragon>>>>

Your personalities don't really clash but they are somewhat opposites

Cole: mindful and calm (sometimes) You: Hyper and loving

Opposites attract ig

Dude loves cuddling with you, you're as warm as a bear to him (bro some kid hugged me and said this to me, and I was laughing my head off it was fucking hilarious)

Bake him a cake and he's all yours

He's very interested in your clan and loves hearing stories/legends from you

He kisses your dragon form a lot

Now onto the Samadhi fire

He made sure to not show any negative emotions around you when you got into your fire form

Again, he knows you didn't ask for this power at all

He doesn't mind your form at all, he makes sure to kiss you every time you're in your Samadhi fire form

Kisses you everywhere because he loves you

He doesn't care if he ever gets 3rd degree burns because he decided to kiss you or hug you while you were covered in the fire You get very surprised, but it helps you calm down

Overall loves you to bits <33

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A/N: SORRY FOR NOT BEING SO ACTIVE BUT ANYWAYS hope you have a great morning/afternoon/night! <333

[snappiderg]

Heyo and welcome to my cave. Staying here risks you getting thrown into my hoard.

Am a big long noodle dwagom who likes to collect anything shiny and friendly.

You can find my hoard and the character profile (please read) on my site!

While you may sometimes have personal space, don't expect me to respect your personal shape >:3

IMPORTANT TAGS:

#snappiposting - Basically the Media tab from Twitter. Will contain art of snappi, and commission stuff.

#ask snappi - All questions about my sona go here. More interesting questions get featured in toyhouse!

#snappi art - Art I have created! Yes I do art now x3

All art you will find will likely be from one of these awesome people <3

White Clover Wolf

Redpaandas

EdgyCatWolf

RUBBY

[crystalas]

Affliction

Affliction

A Lego Monkie Kid one shot [yes, I can do those] wherein while travelling with the Monkie Crew during their season 3 journey Red Son’s affliction flairs up and he has to deal with it…with a little help from Tang.

Warning mentions of mental, emotional abuse and anxiety attacks

 It had been two weeks since Red Son had joined the Monkey King’s group which made him question his sanity and theirs sometimes but, it was not as unbearable as he first thought it to be. True the Dragon Horse girl will not shut up about him being an ‘official good guy’ despite him telling her numerous times that helping them will help him get revenge on the spirit that brought about his family’s downfall.

Noodle boy was quiet which unnerved him no end but then again after nearly getting defeated by Lady Bone Demon he couldn’t blame him. As someone who had been on the receiving end of her mental tormenting tactics and making his own father try to kill him, he understood all too well you’d need some time to yourself to recover.

The pigman and the scholar had made themselves the cook and quarter master of this ship and the big blue man [which he found out was called Sandy] kept the ship on course and in shape, surprisingly he was welcomed Red Son’s input on the ship’s maintenance and ideas for improvement.

Monkey King he didn’t know how he was doing because for reasons he couldn’t explain he just couldn’t bring himself to go near him.

And then it happened, a flock of demon birds attacked the air ship and during their battle to get said feathered monsters off their flying base one of the engines blew; causing the ship to tilt horribly and nearly fling all those fighting on deck into the mountains below and the begin began to plummet. It had been a tense fight between the attacking demons, time and gravity as they fought all three simultaneously before Sandy could get the failing engine working again and once, they got themselves more stable easily fought off the creatures.

Now the battle done and everyone working on getting the ship back in order, Red Son stood there before looking at the damaged engine. He should have checked the engines that morning or upgraded them by now, he should have known about the demon flock that roamed here, or at least checked whose territory these mountains were in. There were so many things he should have done to prevent all this and its only a matter of time before the rest of crew realised that too…

Red Son’s felt an all too familiar tightness in his chest and retreated to below decks, of all the times for his affliction to flare up why now? He had too many things to do and he couldn’t show weakness in front of these people! The tightness got worse and he soon realised he wasn’t going to make it back to the sleeping quarters so he made do with the broom closet, he snuck in closed the door and sank to the floor as he struggled to breathe. His thoughts began to whirl around in his head like static on a radio making him feel dizzy and he brought his knees up to his chest in the hopes of stopping his heart from leaving his chest as it started to beat so fast.

He was used to this; he knew what to do when this happened all he had to do was ride it out and wait for it to be over. If he was lucky, it’ll be over in a few minutes or if he was unlucky an hour; he just didn’t want to be caught like this! It was bad enough he was to blame for what happened what if they find him sitting in the broom closet of all thing and worse what if they notice his condition? They’ll surely kick him out for fears of infecting the others!

As these thoughts continued to whirl around his head and he wheezed in what little oxygen he could he felt someone take his hands.

“Hey its okay…its okay, try and take a deep breath for me Red can you do that?” said a voice it sounded familiar the scholar perhaps? “Focus on my voice and try to breathe in…”

Red Son tried to hone in on the voice and managed to take a deep breath.

“And breathe out slowly…”

He somehow managed to do that.

“Good, you’re doing great! And again, breathe in…and out…in…and out…” the voice soothed and coaxed Red Son back into the room, now that he could think more clearly, he saw the scholar [Tang that was what the other called him] kneeling in front of him holding his hands.

“You feeling better?” he asked. Red Son jerked his hands away and scuttled as far as he could away from the man.

“You should wash your hands…in case you get it” he mumbled.

“Get what?”

“My affliction of course” Red Son admitted shamefully.

“Red Son is this some sort of demon thing? Because from where I’m standing you were having an anxiety attack and last time I checked those weren’t contagious.” Tang said sitting down and getting himself more comfortable on the floor.

“Anxiety attack?” Red Son asked “Is that what it is?”

“Unless you demons get something else but from what I read you guys don’t get sick much…” Tang said before looking thoughtful “Though I do need to do more research into that now that you’re here just to be safe.”

“It must a curse then!” Red Son declared “Mother would have cured me had it been something small as a sickness…perhaps mother was worried of it spreading…”

“Was she the one who told you that? That others could catch it?”

“No…I just assumed because mother would… umm…tell me…to…” Red Son mumbled.

It had to be contagious why else would mother tell him to go away whenever it happened? What other reason than to protect herself and others from getting it?

“Useless child! if you’re going to be like that then go to your room!”

“You’re being an embarrassment for the both of us! Just leave me alone till you can be reasonable!”

“Red Son I thought I told you to keep this to yourself? Can’t you see Father and I are busy?”

“Red Son how long have you had this ‘affliction’?” Tang asked gently, Red Son gripped his arms to try and keep himself focussed and in the room. Tang was a scholar and had already shown an impressive amount of knowledge for a human, given he had helped him with this attack maybe he can cure him!

“I think maybe…two hundred years ago? Give or take a decade?” he suggested and Tang stared at him his glasses slipping off his nose slightly as his mouth gaped slightly before he recollected himself and pushed his glasses back into place.

“Sorry…” he apologised “I keep forgetting you’re an ancient demon.”

“I’m still considered young by my kind.” He exclaimed and heard Tang muttered ‘ow my hip’ under his breath.

“Let’s get back on track!” Tang declared “these ‘attacks’ do they happen often?”

“Depends…for a while they happened maybe every two weeks or so maybe a month…but after father came back it started to happen more often…” Red Son explained, the thought of failing his father time and time again despite his best efforts. He had wanted so bad to make up for the blighted mistake that hurt his family so much all those centuries ago, he wanted to make his father proud!

“You? Why should I trust you? You have brought me nothing but failure! Time and time again nothing but disappointment!”

The memory of his father laughing at him and then to declare him a traitor, he knew it was that spirit’s fault but it was still his father’s voice taunting him, it was still his father’s face he would see in his memory looming over him and rushing forward to…

“Red Son?” Tang said loudly bringing Red Son out of his thoughts. “Let’s try something else, what was going through your mind when this attack started?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I’m just trying to figure this out with you, were you scared of the bird demons?”

“NO!” Red Son shouted his hair flaring up in anger “How dare you even suggest that I, Red Son were scared of such minor creatures!”

“So, what was it that upset you?”

“Upset me?”

“Red Son if this is anxiety then your attack must have been triggered by something, if it wasn’t the fight what was it?” Tang inquired, it unsettled Red Son on how quiet and calm he was being about this. “It couldn’t be the fight itself because you seemed fine during that, well as fine as any of us could have been while fighting bird demons on a sinking flaming ship! But this attack began afterwards, didn’t it? so what happened between the fight ending and this starting?”

He should keep his mouth shut a part of Red Son’s mind told him, he shouldn’t expose his flaws to this human. Besides nobody needed to know about this, he was just going to be a bother to everyone…

“Keep your snivelling to yourself! Can’t you see mummy has enough on her plate because of you?”

“Quit your whining and get back to work! Honestly I don’t need this right now!”

“I…I…was thinking of all the things I should have done to prevent that from happening” Red Son finally manged to say.

“Should have done?” Tang repeated “Red Son…do you think what happened was your fault?”

Red Son froze up at those words, he could already feel his chest tighten. They knew! Of course, they knew it was his fault it had to be who else could be to blame? He was more acquainted with the area he should have known about the demon flock; he should have checked the engine so it made sense that he was to blame. It was always his fault when something went wrong Mother said so…

“It’s your fault my husband was sealed away!”

“I was left alone for decades because of you!”

“We lost the staff because your foolish weakness you pathetic little whelp!”

His fault, it was all his fault, it was always his fault!

“Do the spell!” he whispered as his heart began to pound harder.

“What?”

“Whatever you did last time, do it again!” he whimpered clutching his chest “…Please…”

Tang took his hand and Red Son hoped to feel better when Tang did whatever had done last time but nothing changed he still felt like the room was crashing in on him. The thoughts of what Monkey King will do when he finds him, how on earth he was going to explain what went wrong, what punishment awaited him and how he was going to have to make it up to them spun and clashed in his head.

“Red Son listen to me; did you know the engine was going to fail?”

“What? N…no I didn’t but I…”

“Had someone told you to check on it? Was it your job today to do so?”

“No…I mean I usually do but it looked fine yesterday…”

“Then it wasn’t your fault”

“W…what?”

“Red Son none of what happened today was your fault, how could it be? You said so yourself you checked it yesterday and it was fine, you had no way of knowing those bird demons were nearby. None of this was your fault.” Tang stated clearly holding Red’s hand tightly now.

“But…I…I mean I should have…”

“Red listen to me, we’re not going to blame you for something none of us had any control over. We fixed the problem we won the battle that’s all that matters. It wasn’t your fault.” Tang exclaimed “But you still think it is, don’t you?”

Red Son looked at him and nodded. Why did he feel such relief at being told something that should be obvious to him? Tang should be at least scolding him for acting so foolishly but he just…sits there…listening to him. It felt nice to have someone hear him out for once.

“Can you cure me of this?” he asked.

“No Red Son, this isn’t something I can just make a potion for and fix right away, but I am willing to help you through this. You don’t need to ride these ‘afflictions’ out alone, next time you feel one coming on just let me know, okay?” Tang explained and stood up helping Red Son to his feet. “Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Yes…” he said softly.

“Good we better get back up top before everyone thinks we fell overboard!” Tang beamed and opened the broom closet door; Red Son grabbed his hand before he could leave.

“Um…thank you…” Red Son said “but please don’t let anyone else know about this…”

“I won’t say a word until you’re ready!” Tang swore and they made their way back to the others, Red Son made a bee line for Sandy who was looking over the damage engine. Sandy just waved and smiled before going into detail about what he thought went wrong handing Red Son the tool box as they discussed how to fix and improve it. Tang smiled and went over to Pigsy who was in the kitchen putting away all the items that had gone flying when the ship had tilted.

“There you are!” Pigsy growled “I could’ve used a hand you know where have you been?”

“You know how we agreed when this was all over we were going to get MK to see a therapist?” Tang said as he started to pick the jars of herbs off the floor.

“Yeah?” Pigsy agreed wondering why this had come out of left field so suddenly.

“Think we could get Red Son to see one too?”

[serenawitchwriter]

BNHA fusion (Bakusquad/Todoroki)

TodoBaku

i pity endeavor

somehow angrier than bakugou? like it’s less of a tsundere, shouty way and more of a punk rock 100% ready to throw down at the slightest provocation

has less tolerance for spice but will eat it anyway

spicy noodles

a lot blunter with his actual thoughts

so much fire, i’m imagining because of Baku's chemical secretion they could possibly make some kind of plasma, though i doubt that makes scientific sense.

also shoots steam out of one their hands

spiky red and white hair, not split down the middle but streaky. a bit like natsuo only more integrated

red eyes, no heterochromia, but keeps the scar

handsome, but constantly looks a bit constipated

really self-critical

incredibly good at mocking people. easily makes people cry with his insults because they’ll attack the thing about you that you don’t like

surprisingly unaggressive towards midoriya. like bakugou’s rivalry/aggression toward him is somehow dampened by todoroki’s love of mido

also tolerant of specifically mina, uraraka, and kirishima. everyone else push their buttons to the point of pissing them off.

i’d like to see them fight dabi because it feels like they’d have similar vibes, except todobaku is less theater kid.

would absolutely wear a leather jacket

despite their angry punk energy, they still pretty anal about self care and schedules. like they’re straight edge nerds about everything but fighting

KiriTodo

chaotic

like they aren’t a bad person but they are a dumbass and the shit that they get up to is spectacularly wild

completely red hair, silky texture. either slicks it back or spikes it into a mohawk. depends on the day

still scarred, red and blue eyes.

shark teeth but in a softer shaped face

usually shirtless, especially when it’s inappropriate

will eat literally anything

incredibly insecure but honest about it

clingy to his friends in an almost desperate way. like his friends will always be their for him but even then he’s struggling to feel secure about it

slow burn anger, but is the most terrifying person to see angry. you do not want to see him get genuinely pissed

an incredibly kind person

fantastic with animals

another elemental quirk user

i have the mental image of a rock golem running at the enemy while on fire and covered in ice. again, avoid pissing him off

pauses a lot while talking and uses a lot of filler words like ‘like, um, and uh”. almost like a valley girl

deceptively smart and emotionally mature. like they have their moments of being profound, of getting where others are coming from, of doing something totally genius

but is also a dumbass the vast majority of the time. like you’d be shocked at how stupid he can be

can’t fucking read

affectionate towards Bakugou and Midoriya. thinks they’re all best friends. isn’t entirely wrong. loves Mina as well

cuddly as hell, but is not comfortable to cuddle with. he’s too hard and he’s never the right temperature

TodoMina

chaotic part 2

a weird combo, probably not very stable

candy cane colored curls, with a pink transition color in their hair. still has horns.

it’s hard to tell that they’re scarred with pink skin. heterochromic eyes, one blue, the other yellow with black sclara

has a creepy laugh

fully into being an alien and is attempting to convince people it’s true, not in a joking way.

more plasma options in terms of quirks. i don’t know how freezing or heating acid effects it, but the effect can probably be used for something

will do basically anything they put their mind to, no matter how absurd. once they make a decision they’re going to do it hell or high water

shift back and forth between being incredibly hyper and on the ball, and being exhausted and antisocial. 

overly invested in gossip and discovering the truth. nosy as hell

impossible to predict

probably into yoga?

manic pixie dream girl? definitely quirky

has a mean sense of humor, and is sometimes just mean in general. generally has good intentions but won’t hesitate to cut people down when they feel they ‘deserve it’

candy addiction

TodaKami

very stable

very funny and chill

stoner vibes regardless of if they do drugs

zones out constantly

black lightning in the white half, red lightning in yellow half of hair. fine and silky as hell

green eyes, no scar. probably needs glasses but doesn’t have them yet

weather powers. can make storms, clouds, effect temperature. can be effected by their own weather and injures themselves often

but is an op fighter anyway

both a memer and conspiracy theorist but in an entertaining way. could have a buzzfeed unsolved style show if they find the right skeptic. i feel like iida would be a cute partner for that. obviously todokami is the unhinged one

will eat literal garbage. i could see them eating from a dumpster because the pizza looked okay

rude mouth, says what he’s thinking regardless of how hurtful it is. isn’t intentionally trying to be mean.

obsessed with dragons

constantly tired. they sleep and sleep but it is never enough

pretty cuddly and quiet when zoned out

a fantastic hugger

baby

Todosero

weird but in an inexplicably normal way

like they’re not getting bullied for it, they’re not subverting society or being overly chaotic. they’re just kinda... odd.

possibly a fae in disguise?

fixed looking smile

scarred. small black eyes. hair is split to be red and white. but the roots are black

obviously still has tape elbows. quirk is probably some kinda fire and ice whip. makes a lot of icicles as well. has many creative applications, especially because they’re both range attacks

executive dysfunction anyone?

loves manga, particularly weird artsy kind, or horror and mysteries

will chill in high places for hours. probably makes a full spiderweb or cocoon or hammock.

just likes getting away from people

wears Hawaiian shirts casually. on the tame side

loves the beach

loves noodles more than life itself. has a mission to try every type of noodle

probably gets stuck places and gets lost easily

makes people uncomfortable. kind of person who just stands silently and stares at you. will wait until you notice him to speak. so sometimes he’ll just be standing silently behind you for five minute and than you’ll finally turn around and have a heart attack,

will otherwise jut kinda stand at the periphery of groups and stare blankly. like that vine of the guy disassociating at a party

never quite jives with the conversations, timing always seems off. they’re just really awkward

pretty fun loving given the opportunity. hanging out with friends is their favorite activity

vibes fairly well with ojiro and hagakure

TodoJirou

cool

makes ice puns, which is lame but gay/lesbian solidarity part 2

white and purple hair in a bob. no scar. has the earphone jacks. purple and silver eyes. petite

deserves to wear sunglasses at all times. probably doesn’t but they deserve to

incredibly chill

actually pretty lazy given the opportunity

still plays the bass and is quite passionate about it

husky singing voice. it’s good but unique, most suited towards indie stuff, not belting Broadway.

plays with earjacks constantly

in love with momo

powers aren’t particularly enhanced by each other. have to get pretty creative to make it effective. don’t mind that much, they aren’t trying to be number one, they’re just herre to help

probably always in a leather jacket

generally pretty sweet, especially towards close friends. it’s a quiet kindness. more shown by putting extra food on your plate when you’re not eating enough, instead of demanding you eat more verbally

sardonic

stable

easily annoyed, especially by injustice. if something is unfair they’ll get mad

generally incredibly mellow, one of the less feral fusion overall

(masterlist)

[dinosaurtsukki]

[ wedding gifts | feat. akaashi keiji ]

pairing: akaashi keiji x f!reader

word count: 1.3k words

contains: um, angst, jumps in between memories

a/n: wanted to use the whole wedding gift saying (something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue) thing as a prompt. /might/ make this into a series thing but depends how i feel abt it haha

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂

I. something old

the candy ring pop that akaashi gave you when you were twelve. the lollipop had already been eaten, of course, but you still kept the green, plastic ring piece. sometimes you take it out of where you keep it on your nightstand drawer and fit it over your ring finger.

“i’ll marry you when we get older!” you remember akaashi promising you, right before slipping the ring pop on your finger. you were probably ten years-old back then. akaashi was still in his ‘dragons phase’ and carried one of his favorite books with him to school. he still barely knew how to tie his shoelaces but you never minded squatting down to tie them for him.

neither of you really understand what it means to be married. as far as you know, it just means spending time together and living in the same house. of course, you nod your head and agree. akaashi giggles before going on about how you’ll be wearing matching pajamas until you’re both older.

the lollipop dyes your tongue red and you could see it sticking out between your lips in the bathroom mirror while you rinse off the ring piece. you usually throw these away after eating them but this was different. ‘akaashi gave it, so i have to keep it’, you reason with yourself, shaking the piece of plastic dry.

you and akaashi are much older now and even though he’s grown out of his dragon phase, you still gift him a little dragon keychain that he still keeps on his bag. he probably doesn’t know that you’ve kept the ring until now, nor the fact that your hands would touch his for a moment too long.

‘does he remember?’ you wonder, gazing down at the ring on your finger. it would be kind of stupid if he does, even more so for you to hold onto it.

II. something new

the spare key to akaashi’s new apartment. he’s too cautious to leave it under the doormat to his house, saying that ‘everyone knows that’s where to keep the spare key by now’. so instead, he gives it to you. after all, you live near enough to his place. after all, you would always come if he needed you for anything.

and yet, akaashi never accidentally locks himself out of his house or loses his key. but you keep it anyway because akaashi’s apartment for you to come and go as you please. you cook too much pasta for one person but enough for two so akaashi always has extra noodles in his cupboard.

“guess what that guy in my class did today?” “i accidentally got my wrong coffee order.” despite how long you two have known each other, conversations never run stale. you feel like akaashi’s couch has begun to have a dent in the cushions because you always sit there.

and yet, you can’t bring yourself to talk about what’s been weighing on your mind for the past few years. afraid because you don’t want to accidentally create an ocean between the two of you and yet not content with the unnamed boundary between the two of you.

so you content yourself with the extra key hanging from your chain, with the extra noodle in the cupboard, with the comfortable dent in the sofa that’s been molded in the shape of you. you tell yourself that maybe someday, these would no longer be extras but normal parts of the life you and akaashi share.

that is, until he says the thing you’ve been dreading most to here. “i think i met someone,” akaashi says, almost shyly. his fingers are splayed across the rim of his mug his gaze focused at the window. another conversation stems from that, but one that you have trouble listening to as you feel the key burning a hole in your pocket.

III. something borrowed

akaashi’s volleyball team jacket from way back in high school. you can’t help but stare at the way it fits around her shoulders perfectly when akaashi drapes it on her. as much as you want to, it’s difficult to hate her. not when you see how much she makes akaashi happy. 

you make akaashi happy too, just not in the way she does. but he never neglects you, never cancels out on the plans you two have made together, never leaves you waiting outside his apartment door. it would have been easier if akaashi would ignore you or if the girl he was dating was a terrible person. you’re left swinging between joy for the two of them, and sadness to your self.

“you and akaashi sure have known each other for a long time,” she says. your eyes linger on the jacket around her shoulders and how her arm is partially resting on akaashi’s.

“we’ve practically known each other since we were in daycare,” akaashi smiles softly at you. “hey, remember that time we met? when you pushed me off the swings in the playground?” 

you can’t help but laugh at the memory as you recount your version of the story. in the back of your mind, you think of the green plastic ring in your nightstand drawer and the ache in your chest grows. 

you lean your forehead against the car window when he drives you home, admiring how the yellow streetlights give akaashi’s skin a bronze tint, the way his dark brown hair curls in all the right places. he’s chewing his lip, meaning that he’s worrying about another deadline and you wonder if it’s alright for you to give his wrist a gentle squeeze now. 

“thanks again for coming,” he smiles when he walks you to your apartment. you don’t want him to go just yet. you don’t want him to go at all. would the existing bond between you and akaashi be enough for him to consider you, his closest friend, at all?

“is something wrong, y/n?” he asks. you bite your lip, and finally say what you’ve been wanting to for the past few years.

IV. something blue

the bridesmaid’s dresses are the same shade of blue as akaashi’s tie. it’s one of the things you helped choose when wedding planning rolled around. it’s your favorite shade of blue, one that matches the irises arranged on each of the tables during the reception. everything in the wedding venue is picture-perfect and you can’t help but take mental snapshots to remember forever.

if only it was for you.

like the decorations and the flower arrangements, you’re dressed in blue from head to toe, fixing a smile on your face as you watch akaashi’s bride-to-be walk down the aisle in her white gown. even though you’ve prepared for this day for months, years even because you knew deep in your heart that akaashi would ask her eventually, you still can’t stop the tears from escaping from the corners of your eyes. 

and as much as it would pain you, your eyes finally land on the expression on akaashi’s face. the smile there could only mean that he’s feeling a happiness that’s beyond words. 

the rest of the ceremony goes well, even with you pausing to dab at the corner of your eyes. everyone assumes that you’re crying from happiness for your best friend.

of course, you deliver a speech to the newlyweds, one that took you weeks to write with more than a few crumpled up drafts ending up in the trash bin. it’s so easy for you to recall things like when they first met, how cute they were during those first few months of dating, how you knew deep down that they would stay together for a long time.

you and akaashi lock eyes and there’s a small, sad smile on his face. you try not to think about the green, plastic ring that you had just thrown away, or the apartment key that you could no longer used after akaashi moved out, or the fact that you haven’t seen his old volleyball jacket in so long.

at the end of the reception, akaashi offers to wait with you outside while you hail a taxi home. before entering the car, he touches your wrist for a few seconds, eyes locking with yours.

“thank you for the wedding gift.”

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂ 

taglist (check out my post for details on being part of my taglist):@montys-chaos​ @miyumtwins​ @strawberriimilkshake​ @pocubo​ @sugawara-sweetheart @akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan​ @therainroguefanfiction​ @atetiffdoesart @stephdaninja @oikaw-ugh​ @charliefredb​ @dramaqueenweeb1469 @tremblinghearts @applepienation @doodleniella @haikyuu-my-love @waitforitillwritemywayout @kattykurr @atsumusdomain​ @goodfoodxoxoxo​ @ah-kaashi​ @guardianangelswings @definitely-yours @amberalisa @whootwhoot​ @liz-multifandom-hotel @kac-chowsballs​ @procrastination-lady

[awkwardnoob]

Put your hands together foooooor: AU dump #7!

*All AUs are free to use if they inspire you

*Thyma lives because I said so

*Like half of these aren’t shippy.

1) Someone calls the rest of Mad Burnish Lio’s riff raff/cannon fodder as an insult, but one of them pipes up like “Actually we prefer the term Mooks/Lackeys/-insert similar term-”

- Look, when you’re constantly running for your lives and stressed, you insert a little fun where you can.

2) The Promare leave, and suddenly Lio is an atrocious cook. He burns water bad. Meis and Gueira don’t know what’s going on because he was at least half decent on the run.

It turns out Lio had been cooking by ‘feeling’, which actually means that his Promare had been tapping into the hivemind for other Promare/Burnish who knew how to cook, then instructing Lio.

- Who knows how they find out. Maybe the Promare come back and they find out that way. Getting rid of the Promare was the worst decision they made in the movie and I will never write an AU where they stay gone.

3) A random burnish traveler comes to Promepolis after everything, and Lio/others learn that outside of the area they were all working in, Freeze Force was seen as a terrorist group and Kray some kind of crazy dictator.

- None of the other bits of civilization were in any position to do anything OR they were kind of assholes who were very much ‘so long as they leave us alone we will have no issues’

4) Warning: Genderbends (we have lady Mad Burnish trio, because sometimes you just need it)

It’s grooming based bonding.

- Gueira makes a habit of clinging to Meis in the morning and begging her to do her make-up because Meis has the best make-up game ever. Meis always gripes at her that Gueira does this every morning, and every morning, Meis does her make-up. 

- For fuck’s sake Gueira, Meis doing your make-up is a forgone conclusion you don’t have to cling and beg. (but it’s routine/tradition at this point and neither is going to stop)

- Lio doesn’t wear make-up (it was/is a luxury they could/can rarely afford on the run). Her generals get around this by brushing her hair. Meis may or may not at least try to put some lip gloss on her.

- “I don’t see the point of this” “Shhh, Boss, it’s important to treat yourself”

5) Detroit is trying to play wingman for Lio but Lio misunderstands and thinks Detroit is in love with Galo instead. He doesn’t know what to do about his Promare being his love rival.

- Lio, to Gueira and Meis: "the fact that Detroit is madly in love with Galo is between me and her/him/them, so stay out of it!” all while trying to drag away a noodle shaped dragon of fire that has gone limp and uncooperative in his arms.

- Go back to Galo, Lio. C’mon, you’d make beautiful babies! (Weather that’s possible or not for them in this AU is irrelevant, Promare don’t know shit and Detroit heard it in the hive mind once)

6) Burnish (at least adults) don’t age so Lio is like 50 AU

- Meis and Gueira rag on Lio for dating Galo/being a cradle robber.

- Protective Burning Rescue.

- Look, it isn’t Lio’s fault that Galo is Galo, leave him alone!

7) That same AU, but ‘Burnish are perfectly integrated in society’ flavor. Lio saves Galo from the fire.

- Galo was 100% trapped and was going to die if no one had come for him.

- Kray is either caught for starting the fire or he fled the scene, either way, he’s not important.

- Lio went full armor, so Galo has no idea who his savior is.

- It was years ago so Lio doesn’t immediately connect Galo with some kid he saved once. He does when lightly prompted however (say, like Galo telling him the story)

8) I feel like there is more you could do with ‘Lio saved Galo years ago’ AU. Maybe something with mistaken identity.

[daydream-believin]

The Never-Ending Roadtrip (kmart’s haunted)

Summary: (part 1) Reader has joined Douxie on the quest for Nari’s safety. He’ll need company. (part 2) - Missouri 1     (part 3)

Warnings: swearing, very light spooky?

Word Count: 2245

A/N: so we’ve established that Doux wasn’t the one who burnt the bookstore, but they don’t know that. look, have you been in a Kmart recently? its apocalyptic. also, you know that post about people repeating their default work greetings by accident? yeah

“Do you want me to split the bill or?” The waitress asked, not sure if the group at the table was a young couple and their child or just three college kids hanging out. It was kind of hard to tell. On one hand, that one kid was so small, wearing a little deer costume, and had been helped to order. The other two radiated the energy of an old married couple and talked mainly to each other. But on the other hand, college kids are just like that sometimes.

“Nah, I got it.”

“What? No. I’m paying for us.” Douxie insisted.

“I have the cash, Doux.” (Name) turned to the waitress. She put some honey in her voice. “Just bring us one bill, please.” The waitress nodded nervously before heading off.

“No. I don’t want you paying for too many things while we’re traveling. You’re unemployed.”

“And who’s fault is that Mr. Mephits-Are-Vulnerable-To-Fire? You fucking burned down the store and put us both out of work here.” Nari was squirming at the negative vibes going on. It helped that she didn’t exactly understand what was going on.

“It was magic fire!” Douxie interjected in outrage. He looked so cute when he got defensive.

“Yeah, okay, sure.” (Name) shook her head, looking up to the ceiling. She let out a huff, “look, I invited myself onto this trip, Douxie. I want to pull my own weight. You’re going to have to let me pay for something eventually.”

“We’ll see about that, Love,” he said as he grabbed the ticket from the waitress’s hands as quick as lightning, tucked his card in and gave it right back before (Name) could further protest.

“Ugh! FINE! Then I’m getting the tip.” She pulled out a tenner and slapped it onto the table. She glared right back into Douxie’s hazel eyes. He glared right back into hers with a matched intensity. Nari looked back and forth between the two and whimpered. (Name) broke the standoff to assure Nari that they weren’t actually angry at each other so she shouldn’t be worried. That seemed to ease the forest child a bit but not by too much. She could still feel the weird aura they were putting off.

“Okay! So here’s your check back and here’s that lox bagel you ordered to go.” The waitress handed (Name) a doggy bag.

(Name) took the bag gingerly. A big fake smile spread across her face as she was momentarily possessed by that good spirit of customer service. “Thank you! I hope your experience was spellbinding! Have a magical day!” (Name) said on autopilot in that high-pitched voice and winked exaggeratedly. It was like she was an NPC and her talk button had been accidentally pushed. The waitress laughed forcibly and scurried away to the kitchen. Douxie cracked up.

“You do know that when I told you to say all that stuff after ringing people up, I was hazing you, right?”

“Oh yes, I am completely aware, Doux. Did you think I’d not pick up on how ridiculous that sounds? But I still say it to spite you.”

He shook his head. “Of course.”

***

Archie scarfed down his bagel sandwich with almost disturbing speed. It was like watching the void consume, well, a bagel sandwich. It just disappeared. Down his furry maw and out of existence. Being a dragon works up an appetite, after all. (Name) was a bit baffled and asked him if she should go get him another bagel. He assured her that the one was just fine and said something about trying to catch some birds later. She leaned back on her elbows against the boat’s railing, trying and failing to not think about the details of that.

Douxie cleared his throat. “So,” He folded his hands together for emphasis, “Since the subject of money came up earlier, I think we should also discuss the topic of our accommodations.”

“Well, you two obviously cannot afford lodging every night.” Archie snarked, flicking his tail.

“Thank you, for that, Arch. No, I was thinking more along the lines of a tent.”

“A tent?” the cat asked incredulously.

“Oh, that could work.” (Name) pointed at Douxie animatedly, “keep us close to nature for Nari. And also could keep our possible property damage bills down. Good idea, Doux.”

“Thank you,” Douxie puffed up, “see Arch? Someone appreciates my ideas-”

“Wait. That’ll be a short-term solution. We’re just barely into September. It’s going to be much, much colder in about a month. By October it’ll be too cold to bear. Even if we all huddle together like penguins.”

Doux looked away to hide his blush at the suggestion. “That is a problem. Okay, um-”

“Maybe we could just cross that bridge when we get there? Who knows what could happen between now and then. We could find so temp work in a little town somewhere.” (Name) shrugged, smirking at Doux. She didn’t want to admit that ‘we could be dead by then’ was also definitely a possibility on the table, so she tried to further distract from that thought. “Maybe we’ll find a creepy abandoned cabin in the woods we can squat in. Maybe some nice trolls will take us in as novelty pets. Maybe my rich Aunty Josie could just suddenly die under some ‘mysterious circumstances’ and leave her lavish fortune to her beloved niece,” she smirked at Doux, “I dunno, just spit ballin’ here.”

“I’m electing to ignore that you just suggested we ice your aunt because you were onto something there.”

“I was?” Her tone was a mixture of sarcasm and disbelief.

“Yes! New Jersey!

“New Jersey?” The wheels turned. “Oh! New Jersey!”

Nari looked confused. “What is special about this ‘New Jersey’?” she asked

Both Douxie and (Name) turned to her, “Trolls.” They said in sync.

***

(Name) stood there with her hands in her pockets. Somehow this Kmart was still standing, out here in The-Middle-Of-Fucking-Nowhere, Missouri. She was standing here, in a Kmart. It might as well have been 1986. There was barely anything on the shelves. Half the shelves themselves were missing. The floor had a layer of grime to it, in spite of the wet floor sign along with the shiny patches that said that it had clearly been mopped recently. The air smelled like something (Name) couldn’t quite place, but it was nostalgic. A strange scent that took her back to her childhood. Or at least she thought it was her childhood. It had to have been. Taking deep breaths, she couldn’t quite get enough of it.

Continuing that vibe, a muzak 80’s tune played over the speakers. Funny enough, despite (Name)’s brain seeming to recognize that it was playing a song from the 80’s, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it as to which. Every time she thought she’d figured it out, she’d hear a few notes that would somehow change her mind. It was a pop song at least, to narrow it down. It’d been going on for about six minutes now. Must be one of those extended tracks.

She’d ask Douxie what he thought the song was. She turned her attention to him and noticed he was still just staring at that same shelf like he had been for, what, ten minutes now? Even though this fucking Kmart barely had any shelving in it, by some miracle it not only had exactly what they were looking for but an entire aisle of them. How lucky was that.

Douxie was taking very careful consideration into this tent purchase. This was going to be their new home, after all. He just couldn’t decide which one was best. They all had fancy camping terms on the packages that meant nothing to him. He’d been trying to decipher the code. The secret outdoorsman code. Nari shifted uncomfortably in the basket.

“Hisirdoux, you should maybe, hurry this along?” She sounded strained.

But she was right. He should just pick one already. It’s all a gamble anyway. He decided on a dark green one that boasted a water-proof material. Good natural color, not easily spotted, and it wouldn’t soak through with rain. That should work well enough, he figured.

“I’ve hurried along. Sorry Nari.” He casually tossed the box into the cart next to her. She sniffed the box and nodded to him.

Now that they had their goal item, the quest party started for the checkouts. Douxie could have sworn that it had been on the side of the store they were in. They had passed it when they came in. Now it was completely across by the other door. Did he get turned around? Or maybe they did come in from that side of the store. He actually couldn’t remember.

As they walked, a few things caught (Name)’s eye. They passed a display of dark leafy plants in oddly shaped pots, a table stacked high with various books and a clearance sign, a knife case that had been left open, a candle display with a few that had already been lit and were dripping wax, a bargain bin of CDs, and lastly a sad box of no-longer-in-season pool noodles. There was a sale on bloodmeal apparently. Perfect for perking up those roses after the summer heat.

They arrived at the checkout after what felt like an endless journey. (Name) hadn’t noticed any other customers the entire time they had been there, and yet the line for the only check open had seven people in it. She grabbed a couple bags of red licorice from the impulse shelf to add to their cart while waiting.

Nari was really interested in that checker. (Name) took her in. The teen was taller than most and had very, very long blonde hair that cascaded down her back like a shiny golden waterfall. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in. Must be going through a diet phase. Poor girl.

The young woman was obviously not one for small talk. Name couldn’t blame her. Retail sucks. Her perfect red fingernails clicked against the keys of the register in a practiced beat. She turned around and told them their total in a bored monotone. As Douxie fiddled with his wallet and payed, (Name) found herself staring right into the cashier’s eyes. They were such a light icy blue, they were almost white. It was striking. (Name) was almost in a trance. It was broken as the cashier turned around swiftly to rip off the receipt off the machine, and, in an uncharacteristically cheery voice, told them to have a nice night. Night?

They returned the cart back to the stack, grabbing their one singular shopping bag and helping Nari out. Of course Nari could easily just jump out herself, but that wouldn’t be something a human child could do. They didn’t need to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves here. They made their way to the automatic sliding doors that lagged so that they didn’t open until you were standing right in front of them. This allowed Douxie time to catch a glimpse of the reflection in the glass. The reflection of the store was completely devoid of people. Not even the checker was at her station. He sucked in a breath. After walking through those first doors, he stopped. He took a moment to turn back. There she was, right where she should be, checking out another customer with three more in the line.

Douxie hurried along the doorway to catch up to (Name) and Nari. It was darker outside than he expected, and he was taken aback. He found them right outside the store, waiting for him. In one hand, (Name) was holding Nari’s, in the other, the plastic shopping bag. Her head was tipped up to the sky, transfixed by the moon. He came over, grabbing her shoulder as he pulled her along, in an attempt to urge her away from this place. She looked back at him, eyes wide with distress. He tried to convey that he understood with his eyes. All three of them instinctually knew not to say anything more why they were still in this parking lot.

It had barely been half past noon when they had started this little Kmart side quest. It was now at least seven by the looks of it. They had spent six and a half hours in a Kmart? How had they spent six and a half hours in a Kmart. There went their entire travel day. But no time to dwell on this, they needed to get back to Archie and the boat as soon as possible.

As they walked back towards the ship, (Name) and Douxie both took one of Nari’s hands so that she was in the middle, like how those couples walk with their children. The streetlights glared up at them in the slick pavement. Apparently, it had rained while they were in shopping limbo. Poor Arch. (Name) let out a puff of air.

“Well. That sure was something.”

Douxie nervously chuckled, “If we had stayed in there any longer, I think we might have died.” (Name) mirrored that nervous chuckle.

“Oh, no, dying would be much simpler than what would have happened to us.” Nari said sweetly, like what she was saying was somehow better. Nari liked being helpful. (Name) put on her best fake smile.

“Thank you, Nari.” She tried her best to sound as sincere as possible to spare the veggie lady’s feelings.

[anamatics]

Send a ship and I’ll tell you who: Fleurmione 🥺

Here have some stuff form the Teenagers Universe, some spoilers as this is mostly set in the aftermath as that’s what I’m writing now. Slight CW for dealing with the aftermath of trauma.

Gives nose/forehead kisses

Probably Fleur, she's the more affectionate of the two of them, but when Fleur dozes off in the middle of a translation, half-read books of runic poetry scattered across the desk and crumpled bits of parchment scatted on the floor. Hermione drapes a blanket over Fleur's shoulders and gently shakes her awake. "Come to bed," she says. She bends and presses her lips to Fleur's forehead. "The runes will still be there in the morning."

Gets jealous the most

Jealousy was reserved for that one time that Hermione had a maybe-almost-something with Pansy that blossomed into what even Fleur agrees is one of the healthiest friendships either of them has. And besides, Hermione had that mortifying moment with Professor McGonagall that was, well, enlightening for everyone. When Pansy finds out about that during a party she laughs for a good ten minutes before giving Hermione a slow once-over and announcing, “I stand by my point about degenerates and nerds from fifth year.”

Hermione doesn’t hex her, but it’s a close thing.

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

So maybe Ron splitches himself once too many, and Hermione’s started to just take the night tube back to White City. It’s easier, honestly. Living in a space that straddles both muggle and wizarding London has left her so accustomed to occupying both spaces that it seems the natural option. When she and Fleur get caught in the turnstiles, and neither of them can quite get their oyster cards to read, they realize that they’re in their late thirties and probably should not be out so late when they have children waiting for them at home. But Pansy throws the best parties and the sitter’s agreed to stay late while they explain to the TFL attendant that they’re not too drunk to get on the train, and no one will get sick. 

Takes care of on sick days

Here’s the thing. Wizards don’t get sick the way muggles do, no, they have ailments of the wizarding kind that Hermione’s got no idea how to deal with them when she first encounters a case of dragon pox on her third day of residency at the Queen Vic’s A&E. She still gets headcolds and a flu shot every year because in the eyes of magic she’s more muggle than witch. Fleur attempts to make soup, and, despite Hermione having (relatively) mastered cooking, she’s still not the best at it. When she ends up disappearing for twenty minutes and coming back with a packet of instant noodles from the corner shop, Hermione just sniffles and smiles woozily at Fleur. “Hate that you can’t catch this.”

“I’d rather you didn’t catch it either,” Fleur replies. “Perhaps this is a lesson about refusing to take the floo or apparating to work?”

“I will die before I floo willingly and you like taking the train as much as I do.” Hermione takes the chopsticks offers her and sits up, frowning at the instant noodles. Even through her clogged nose, Hermione recognizes the scent of peppers. “The Korean one?”

“To clear your sinuses,” Fleur answers. 

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

Here’s the thing, the water’s cold and Hermione isn’t going to just get in it without prompting. She’s brought a book to read, a fiction book. She’s taking a break from all the academic reading and reading a novel that Pansy’s recommended in the shy, hesitant way that Pansy does anything that matters. She’s been working her way through the wizarding classics, but this novel is new - just published. Pansy’d been insistent, and when it’d arrived in the post Hermione understood why. She’s not a fool, and she recognizes a pseudonym and a barely disguised dedication. 

Fleur’s standing by the water, ankle-deep in the chalk-colored water, waving at her. Hermione sets the book aside moves to join Fleur, their fingers tangling together as they wade out into the water, staring across the channel at the French coast. 

“I can’t believe she kept her hobby a secret,” Hermione comments. “Dunno how she has the time between doing all those proofs for work and taking care of the kids while Hannah works nights.”

“I think she wanted to impress up on the world that no one truly knows her,” Fleur answers. 

“Very Slytherin.”

“Quite.”

Gives unprompted massages

It used to be that touch was something they both craved, having spent so much of their early relationship apart. Now, when Hermione gets home at half ten from a shift at St. Mungo’s that turned into a shift and a half dealing with a magical catastrophe so bad that they’d had to call Andromeda back from Reading to even begin to make sense of what had happened. Near-fatal organ damage from accidental magic was something Hermione was used to dealing with, but this, threaded with something think and dark and particularly nasty that sat like oil amidst the child’s blood was not her area of expertise. She’s dead on her feet, and her patient is barely stabilized by the time she’s comfortable leaving. She collapses on the sofa when she arrives back at Catterlily Place, half asleep as she melts into the soft cushions. 

“How bad?” Fleur asks. She’s got her glasses perched on her nose and is already bending to pull Hermione’s trainers from her feet. Her fingers dig into Hermione’s sore, aching feet, and Hermione cannot say anything at all, knowing full-well that there’s a chance the patient won’t survive the night. 

“We had to call Andy back from Reading.”

“Oh, chérie.” Fleur’s hands still and she pushes herself to her feet, settling next to Hermione and wrapping her arms around Hermione’s shaking shoulders. “You are so, so good at what you do, Hermione. So is Madame Tonks. It’ll be okay.”

Drives/rides shotgun

“I think this is a threat to public safety,” Fleur says as Hermione adjusts the seat and fiddles with the height of the steering wheel. She walks around to the passenger side of their rented hatchback, and climbs awkwardly into the seat. “We could be killed in this deathtrap. We are witches. We do not have to drive anywhere.”

“Fleur,” Hermione says with grave seriousness. “Sometimes things that are easier... are worse.”

As they drive away from Reykjavik and into the Icelandic wilderness, Fleur’s breath catches and Hermione’s smile grows smug. This was going to be a fun holiday.

Brings the other lunch at work

It takes over a year for the goblins to allow Hermione back into Gringotts. She runs into Damien Betz when she’s ducking into Fleur’s office on the second floor with with a bag from Pret and two coffees during her lunch break at the Queen Vic. “Mademoiselle Granger,” Damien says. “Bonjour.”

“Salut Damien,” Hermione says. She tilts her head toward Fleur’s office door. “Is she in?”

He nods, but bends close. He’s clearly just had his line done, as it looks as though a razor has carefully sculpted the shape of his bangs against his forehead. “This morning,” he bites his lip, frowning, “didn’t go well.”

The Blakeley Vault has been a nightmare for the entire curse breaking team for weeks now. “I’ll bear that in mind,” Hermione says. “It was nice to see you, Damien.”

He waves his hand, and Hermione moves toward Fleur’s office with purpose.

Has the better parental relationship

When Paulie drops them back at the hostel, she again offers them a chance to stay at her place with her husband. “It’s no trouble, really,” she says. She drums her fingers on the steering wheel. “I know this hasn’t been an easy day - being surrounded by muggles,” she wrinkles her nose looking the hostel’s shabby exterior over, “does not sound like my kind evening.” 

In her distaste, Hermione is able to look through the haze of sadness that’s come over her to see Pansy in Paulie - the Parkinson upbringing creeping through despite the fact that this woman has a muggleborn witch as a mother, despite the fact that she’s helped Hermione undo all the damage she’s done to her parents, despite the fact that she’s being so kind to two complete strangers,  she’s still a Parkinson at heart. 

“It’s alright, Paulie, thank you though.” Hermione says. “I expect there will be a lot of days like this before things get better.”

Later, Fleur holds her and promises her that it will get better. “At least your mum can stand to look at you,” Hermione says through the tears. 

Tries to start role-playing in bed

“Grab the headboard,” Fleur says. Her hair is mussed, lipstick smeared across her cheek. They’d been out at a ministry function, but all it had taken was one lingering look from Hermione, her lips closing around the olive in her martini, to have Fleur pulling her into a darkened alcove and pushing her up against the wall. Hermione doesn’t mind when this part of Fleur comes out, the part that’s content to kiss her like she’s damnation and salvation at once. Hermione’s hands found their way under Fleur’s tailored jacket (she’d insisted on attempting a menswear look to compliment the dress Hermione’d found while out with Pansy and Ginny a few days back and the final product had Hermione’s mouth dry even before they’d left the house), and she’s whispering about finding somewhere more private. 

Hermione grabs the headboard, and Fleur’s straddling her hips, eyes dark and wild. Fleur reaches for her wand, raises an eyebrow. “Will you let go?” she asks. “If I say you can’t?”

Swallowing, Hermione shakes her head. “I won’t.”

But then Fleur’s using a severing charm on her dress, leaning over her with a sinful smile. She bends to kiss Hermione and the whole world is closing in on that one moment and Hermione can’t breathe, she cant--- When the world relaxes and Hermione’s body starts to untense, she’s sobbing, back in the terrible memory of that night at Malfoy Manor and Fleur’s gathering her up in her arms and apologizing over and over again. 

Embarrassingly drunk dancer

It takes nearly three years before Hermione is comfortable going to a club again. Being trapped in the dark, surrounded by people she can’t see, whose faces are obscured and then illuminated by flashing lights is enough to send Hermione into panics that last two or three days. So they go out to warmly lit pubs full of old men who look them over before shrugging and turning their attention back to their conversations instead. On a warm night, when they’ve shared a pitcher of Pims with Harry, Ron, and Ginny, Fleur gets to unsteady feet and asks Hermione if she’d like to dance to the song that’s playing lowly from the wireless in the corner. To her credit, she nearly manages to execute the proper steps to the dance before they tumble together, clinging to each other as they sway to the music.

“This is so disgustingly adorable I need to get a camera,” Pansy comments, sliding into the seat Hermione’s vacated. There’s a large diamond on her ring finger, which is, ostensibly, the reason they’re all out. Hannah didn’t wait long. She pours the remainder of the pitcher into the final clean glass, fishing out cucumber and crunching on it thoughtfully. “When are you two getting married?”

Hermione shrugs, and Fleur just laughs.

“I mean they sort of are married,” Ron says.

“Totally,” Ginny agrees.

Harry buries his head in his hands and groans. Pansy reaches over and pats him on the back before drawing Ginny into a conversation about the ring. Hermione rests her head on Fleur’s shoulder. “We should do that, you know.”

“Let Pansy have her fun,” Fleur says. She presses a kiss to Hermione’s forehead. “There’s a lifetime for us.” 

Still cries watching Titanic

They go to the cinema not long after the war ends, and Hermione very bluntly asks for the attendant what the longest film that’s playing’s run time is. They’re avoiding her parents, who are desperate to reconnect since she’s retrieved them from Australia, and avoiding Fleur’s, who’ve come across the channel to meet Hermione’s parents. When Fleur’s mother had summarily dismissed them as they all traipsed up from the basement dining room of the charming French restaurant near the National Gallery Hermione’s parents knew, they didn’t need telling twice. The conversation thus far had been mortifying, and they’re both eager to get away form the nightmare that is the combined powers of their parents. They offer to meet back up for tea in a few hours, and disappear off to the cinema, where they sit in the very back row leaning on each other and sob through the ending together.

Firmly believes in couples costumes

Hermione hates fancy dress parties and balls, but after the war they become all the rage within her friends group. Something about going out as someone else appeals to so many of them, as they’ve all been forced to be celebrities despite their best efforts to avoid the spotlight. Harry and Ginny always go as famous quidditch players with period-appropriate gear and think they’re terribly original. Hermione lets herself be talked into floor length gowns and togas and, one memorable time, a full pirate costume by Fleur. She wears what she’s told and when Fleur finds a way to use the costumes to drive her wild throughout the night with slips of skin and lingering touches, Hermione doesn’t have any cause to complain.

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

The ring, when it does come, is presented on Christmas morning at Fleur’s parents’ house in full view of Fleur’s mother and grandmother. Gabrielle is distracted with a new book from her father and Phillipe has been drawn into explaining some of the diagrams at the back of it. Fleur holds out the small box to Hermione with some trepidation, looking from her mother to grandmother. “Oh just give it to her Fleur,” her grandmother finally snaps. “You’ve waited long enough.”

"Fleur?” Hermione asks. 

“You once gave me the soul of the world,” Fleur says quietly. 

“Because it never ends,” Hermione breathes. Her fingers tremble as she opens the box. The ring is beautiful, and when Fleur puts in on her finger it feels as though Hermione’s come home after a long, long time away.

Makes the other eat breakfast

“You need to eat, chérie,” Fleur says. 

Hermione, where she’s been pacing up and down the length of the flat, looks to where Fleur’s standing in the kitchen holding out an energy bar. “I can’t,” she says. “If I eat I’ll get sick and I have to pass this exam today or I will never get the job at St. Mungo’s.”

Fleur’s lips press together into a thin line. She steps into the path of Hermione’s pacing and places her hands on Hermione’s shoulders. “You already have the job at St. Mungo’s. You know as well as I do that Blacks do not stick their necks out for just anyone. If Andromeda says you’re ready, you’re ready.” 

Hermione opens her mouth to protest, but she knows Fleur’s right. Her teeth click as she closes her mouth. 

Fleur’s expression softens. “Now, please, eat.”

Remembers anniversaries

It’s late February when Hermione suggests they go out somewhere nice. Fleur smiles fondly from her translation. “What’s the occasion?”  

“You kissed me for the first time five years ago today.”

Brings up having kids

“There are potions for that, Healer Granger, if you’re at all interested in such things.”

Hermione splutters, nearly spitting her coffee out as she stares across the breakroom table at Andromeda. “Why Healer Tonks,” she says, picking her words carefully. She’s been lamenting to her colleague that Fleur’s mentioned children for the third time in as many weeks and it’s about to turn into a conversation. “Are you offering to brew for me?”

“Well, I was going to offer my sister’s services,” Andromeda says, sipping her tea. “She’s been complaining to me that she’s bored now that the divorce has gone through.”

Hermione does spit out her coffee this time. “I will not have your sister brewing--” 

“Merlin, Hermione, you’re far too easy.”

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Protea (Part 5)

She hears Snapdragon before she sees her. That steady and familiar clank-clack of her necklace. Mai could swear that she has added more knick-knacks to it. Her eyes hone in on it for a moment. She wonders if maybe the woman swaps out which trinkets she wears around her neck every now and again, or maybe she simply has several of these necklaces.

“No flowers today?”

“I’m all out?”

“All out?”

“I was only planning on sticking around until the festival was over.”

Snapdragon’s brows crinkle. “But I thought…” She swallows. “Mohi’s gonna be mighty disappointed.”

It dawns upon her that she had forgotten to mention that when she had offered the woman a job. “Stop looking at me like that, I’ve decided to stay.”

The woman seems to perk up again. Mai doesn’t think that she has ever seen someone’s eyes light up so brightly.

“What made you decide to stay?”

“I guess that I needed a little excitement in my life.”

“Oh. Where are ya gonna get that?”

Mai quirks a brow. Snapdragon points to herself and Mai nods. “I’ve never explored an abandoned industrial park before. My parents would kill me.”

“Where are you gonna be staying?”

“The palace.”

“The palace. How did you manage to get room there?”

“I used to date the Fire Lord.”

She blinks.

“It’s a long story. It ends...not so well. But he owes me and my family so I’m staying there.”

“That’s incredible. I’ve never been in a palace. Unless you count the factory. Sometimes I call that my palace and I made myself this throne, I can show it to you one day.” She resembles. Mai folds her arms and gives a slight smile as she continues. “But an actual palace...maybe one day you can take me there!”

“The flowers aren’t in yet so we have a few days off. I can take you there now, if you want. We can get you to the royal spa and wash some of this dirt off of your cheeks.”

“It’s not dirt, it’s oil and grease.”

“Because that’s much better. Come on.” Just as she turns around she catches Snapdragon rubbing her cheek. The effort was valiant and well-intended but she has only spread the grime to her nose and the back of her hand. Mai wonders if the woman will even take well to having a real bath.

.oOo.

Up close the palace is twice as thrilling with its spoked and multi-tiered roof. What a delight it would be to get the chance to shimmy her way up the side of it and leap from tier to tier. To grip those large golden spokes and find footholds in the windows and on the balconies. Of course, she wouldn’t trade her factory for it but the offer is pretty.

It is only when she lingers in its shadow that it becomes so terribly daunting. It isn’t so much about it’s impressive, awestricking size as it is the promise of what waits for her inside. All of those glamorous people and their lavish lifestyles. Their clean faces and pristine manners.

“Come on.” Mai gives her a gentle nudge.

She quietly follows her up the stairs. More stairs than she has ever ascended in her life.

“Nervous?”

“Why do you say that?”

“You aren’t chattering my ears off.”

“This isn’t nervous silence, it’s a...uh...it’s a happy hush.”

“A happy hush?” Mai quirks a brow. For once her amusement is quite thinly veiled. “If you say so.”

Inside the palace is somehow more elegant than its grand exterior. Portraits and tapestries cover gold trimmed walls. Candles flicker in filigree wall holders fixed to many great pillars. Everything is huge, almost absurdly so. She wanders up to a vase and eyes it. She thinks that she can squirm her way into and stand within with her head only just peeking out of it. She makes off to try when Mai says, “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t you dare crawl into that pot.”

Snapdragon frowns and scrambles to catch up with her.

“You really like exploring, don’t you?”

She nods, “you should see the jungles of Hira’a. They were really fun to explore. I was found in a jungle, you know?”

“That explains a lot.”

They pass by several guards and servants. Their eyes seem to follow her. The unease works its way back in, pushing out her sense of adventure. She finds that the stares of the servants have nothing on the glances she receives when Mai leads her into the banquet hall. Around the table are what she can imagine are councilmen, esteemed generals, and noble folk.

She had made a small effort to clean herself up today but she feels absolutely filthy amid all of them. They all smell so pleasantly and there isn’t a smudge of mud on them at all. Not on their finery and certainly not on their skin. Her tummy turns with flutters and queasiness.

“It’s alright.” Mai assures her.

“I don’t think I fit in well with this lot.”

The murmur as Mai leads her past them and she finds herself sticking close to the woman.

“Hi, Mai.” The Fire Lord greets.

“Zuko.” Mai returns the greeting.

“Who is this?”

“Just call her Snapdragon. You’ll understand if you talk to her more.” She pauses. “She wanted to see the palace so I’m giving her the tour and taking her to the spa.”

“Please do.” Comments a man near the far end of the table. “She smells of industrial waste.”

“She smells like an alley dweller.”

Snapdragon stuffs her hands into her pockets and tries to focus on something else. Something like the food. She has never seen so much of it in one place. She thinks that they have everything here; teeming blows of various and colorful fruits, plump roast duck, cabbage stew, miso soup, and plenty of noodles. And it all smells so enticing--unlike her, apparently.

“If you want to take her there you can and then you can join us for dinner. She can wear one of Azula’s outfits.”

At least some jubilance returns to her. She’s going to get to taste the delightfully scented food. Not only is she going to eat lavishly but she will get to do it in comfortable robes.

“This way.” Mai beckons.

The room she finds herself in next is also amazing. The dragon reliefs jutting from the backmost wall gleam in the sunlight that pours through a wide slit on the ceiling. There are plenty of shiny things in here. Glass bottles in many shapes and sizes, golden combs and brushes, a few small sculptures, and these little polished stones that accent the corners of each table. Snapdragon looks to the left and to the right before swiping one of the empty bottles and a polished stone.

“How are you not in jail?”

“I take worthless stuff, I don’t get caught, ‘n you don’t tattle.”

“You can keep the bottle, they won’t miss that. But, remember when you told me that sometimes you find stuff that isn’t trash and so people chase you?”

She nods.

“The stones aren’t trash. They’re rare gems and you will get chased.” She swipes the gemstone back and puts it at the corner of the table. “By the palace guard.”

Snapdragon rubs the back of her head. “I’ll just keep the bottle.” She sits herself down and leans back. The chair isn’t exactly comfortable and the sink is cool on her neck. Though it becomes significantly more pleasant when the servants arrive and begin scrubbing shampoo into her hair. Yet it is still so jarring to find herself being spoiled like this. And she still has a bath waiting for her. They are surprisingly gentle when working the more matted knots out of her hair. A few times they cut the knots out entirely. They finish washing her hair and sit her up. She didn’t realize that she’d be getting a haircut.

“There were a lot of knots that we couldn’t work with.” One of the servants apologizes softly. “We’re going to cut your hair and make it even.”

She stammers out a word or two of consent and by the time that they are done with her, her head feels so much lighter.

“I’ll show you to your bath.”

She follows the girl to the bathroom and slips out of her dirty robe. Once she gets herself situated the servant offers smiles, “would you like me to?”

“Like you to what?”

The girl laughs. “Give you a scrub.” She gently rubs the soap against Snapdragon’s shoulder. “Some nobles enjoy not having to do any of the work. The princess let us soap her back and arms but preferred to do the rest herself.”

“Oh…” she replies. “I’ll do it myself.” It is one thing to lounge in the communal bath and another entirely to let someone get that touchy.”

The girl hands her the bar of soap. “When you are done with it you can hand it back.” She gestures to another girl. “And when you are ready to get out Yora has your towel ready.

Snapdragon nods. She hadn’t realized that bathing was such a complex ritual.

“Try to relax.” Yora says. “We’re here to make bath time more leisurely for you.”

She supposes that it is nice to not have to scamper around for a towel and a change of clothes. She sinks into the tub and scrubs away at her arms until the water is dirtied. They drain it and fill it again until it comes away crystal clear. A floral aroma rises in languid curls of steam and she feels herself drifting off. She ought to savor the comfort because she probably won’t get a chance like this again.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Mai calls into the room.

The reminder leaves her belly rumbling so she gestures for the towel. She wraps it around her body and Yora pats her hair dry with a second one. The first serving girl hands her the most elegant robes.

.oOo.

She looks rather lovely. Well groomed and without that layer of, Snapdragon is rather pretty. Her eyes are wide and bright. Her freckled and soft. If not for the gaps in her teeth and her gangly limbs, she could very well pass for nobility.

That is until she actually takes her seat and begins eating. She doesn’t do it with the poise that the rest of them do. In fact she is a fast eater and she doesn’t bother with silverware nor chopsticks. Not even with the soups. She makes her way through the platters eating only bits and pieces, as though she can’t decide what to eat. And Mai think that, that is just it. She has so many options that she doesn’t know which to choose. Her innocent curiosity is almost endearing. If only she had some table manners.

At last Snapdragon seems to find a favorite and focuses on a helping of roast duck.

“Very good.” She says between mouthfuls.

Mai’s face flushes for her. The woman is clearly blessed with obliviousness and with her focus entirely on enjoying her meal she is spared the weight of a roomful of judging glowers. The only other person who doesn’t openly gawk at her is Zuko, who makes an effort to look away. She guesses that he understands what it is like to be spellbound and captured by the grandeur of the palace and its spoils.

Mai taps her and Snapdragon looks up from her roast duck. “You might want to slow down, you’re going to make yourself sick.”

And the ignorance is gone. Her face flushes. “They’re all staring at me.”

Mai grimaces. “Yeah. That too.”

She has to admire the woman’s resilience. She finishes her roast duck and a bowl of miso soup in spite of the disgusted stares. She helps herself to a small dessert as well--a bite or two of mochi--before setting it down.

.oOo.

Snapdragon leans back in her chair. She doesn’t think that she has ever been this full in her life. She certainly didn’t realize that being so full could ache like being completely empty. Though it is a much different kind of ache. A more sluggish, heavy ache. She supposes that it beats the painful, yearning kind.

“You feel nauseous, don’t you?” Mai rolls her eyes. “I told you to slow down.”

“I never get this much at Mohi’s place. I wanted to try…”

“A bit of everything.” Mai nods. “I can bring you back here again, you know.”

She surveys the table. Many of the nobles are pushing in their chairs and shooting her begrudging parting glances. “Do you think that’sa good idea?”

Mai shrugs. “Who cares. Honestly, I think that this place could use someone like you. It wouldn’t be so dull and uptight if everyone here wasn’t so…”

“If they didn’t act like someone shoved a prickly pear up their...”

Mai chuckles before cutting her off. “I was going to say rigid. But, yeah, that too.”

Snapdragon folds her arms across her chest.

“You got some sauce on your face.” She dabs at the corner of the woman’s mouth. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“I can’t stay here. Mohi gets worried. She ain’t say it but I know she does.”

“Alright, I’ll let Zuko know that I’m taking you home.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t recommend that. Jus’ let me go, the streets ‘round Mohi’s ain’t nice at night.”

“Then I’ll tell Zuko to loan you a pellinquin.”

“I can walk by myself, I’m used to it. One time I took down three muggers, I only got one black eye and my nose was really swollen and…”

“I’ll also bring a few guards along.”

.oOo.

“Are you sure that you want to leave? If you want you can stay in the palace with Mai.” Zuko offers.

“I’m sure.” Snapdragon nods. “I like being in my nest.”

“Your nest?”

“Don’t get her started on that, Zuko.”

“It isn’t any trouble. I think that it would be nice to have you around a little longer.”

“Uh...no thanks.” Snapdragon murmurs. “I’ll come back with Mai some time.”

“The nobles were making you uncomfortable, weren’t they? They’re usually not around.”

“I don’t think I belong in a palace.” Snapdragon says. “It’s easier out there, you know what’s goin’ on in people's heads. Nobles like to be all secretive and slick. That’s what Mohi says. In the streets you get punched in the face and then you know who to look out for. You never know who hates you in a place like this.” She takes a breath. “I mean I do ‘cause I guess that I’m such a freak that they couldn’t hide how they felt.”

“You’re not a freak, Snapdragon.” Mai sighs. “All of these people have decades of etiquette training. Do you know how hard they drill this stuff into your head? If you ask me, that’s what’s freaky.”

“Did they drill it into your head?”

Mai sighs, “why do you think I’m so…” she gives Zuko a pointed stare. “Blah.”

“You ain’t blah.”

“Thanks.” She mutters. “Can you loan us that pellinquin now, Zuko.”

He inhales sharply. “I’ll get a few guards to accompany you.”

“Do you want to come back here some time?” Mai askes. “Or have you been traumatized.”

“I don’t really like the folks here but…” She holds a hand to her tummy, “the food is great and,” she runs her fingers through her hair, “it’s nice to be all clean. Jasmine smells nice.”

“How about this, I’ll tomorrow I’ll meet you at the factory and I can teach you some palace etiquette.”

“I still wanna be in my nest.”

“We can converse in the palace gardens and in your factory. Don’t you want to explore a new place.”

Snapdragon nods.

Mai takes just a moment to wonder just what she is getting herself into. But, Agni, the woman had been so delighted when she stepped into the palace. She supposes that Snapdragon will be worth the hassle of...of dealing with Snapdragon. Mai’s lips quirk up into a slight smile. “Alright, let’s get you back to Mohi’s.”

[evening-rose-309]

"Nea, why is your father like this?"

To his credit, the Vipertooth's answer was simple as it was short. Balefully he snorted, which was more that any of his brothers or the man in question has ever deigned to give Newt within the time that he'd been here.

"Well that's understandable, but what I don't see is why he has to be like this twenty four seven."

A curious keen.

"That means twenty four hours for a week long. A week isn't twenty four hours, you're right, I just meant that he's like this almost everyday for seven days a week and it's..."

Frustrating. It was frustrating. Newt tried not to look at it that way, but it was.

Sighing, he leaned back against the rock he was sitting by as he absently pet the globe sized domes of the dragon's arrow shaped head. Strange, he thought passively. You would think that a hybrid of Lernaea's calibre would take the physical traits of both parents, but he and his hatchmates seemed to take a very distinctly sort of Vipertooth way of things. Unlike his 'brothers', neither the twins nor Azriel were much distinguishable in their breed as the triplets were. You had to be very observant of the dragons to tell what crosses they were. Say, the twins' size and their forward facing horns or Azriel's azure flame and clubbed tail. Latter had taken Newt a considerable amount of time to figure out, being a three way cross, instead of the arguably more simple two that the twins were. Once he had though, it'd been easier to guess their temperaments, list out their likes and dislikes from interaction and Magda's ramblings, understand them, even if it was from afar.

If only it were so simple with their 'Father'.

"Mornin' there, oh bride-to-be." Newt smiled. Speak of the devil, or rather the devil's withered old aunt treking up the sand bank in old gardening boots.

"Whatcha lookin' at love," Magda queried as she bent down to greet him. "Spyin' on the groom? Now that's not a very gentleman thing to do."

Newt found himself laughing. Yes, he supposed he was spying, but Gellert did say he wanted to spend time with him on the island, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Scooting over a bit- "S'cuse me Mister Noodle Britches, tryin' to sit with my son-in-law here, there you go." -he let the old woman settle next to him, Lernaea's wriggling neck promptly plopped down on her skirts.

"What's the matter love?" Newt noted the concern in her voice. "Could see you poutin' all the way from the shack. Sighing too- oh there we go, there it is again. Come on love, tell old Maggie what's gotcha down."

Newt sagged into the rock face, his one free hand tiredly excepting hers and the little circles she ran into his palm.

"Tell us love," and what could he do to deny her? It wasn't like it meant anything anyway, his sluggish little wonderings. What was the harm, it wasn't like she was going to tell him or that he would listen.

Sighing, again, Newt kept his eyes on the man on the docks even as he addressed the woman at his side.

"It's..." he started, words not coming to him as easily as he thought they would. They never did, when he was addressing humans. "It's, well it's...."

"It's what?"

What indeed. What was it.

"Him." Yes him. Which him, he hadn't the faintest. Magda squeezed his hand.

"Him," she repeated, surer than Newt was. "Him, and what of him?"

Newt bit his lip, his breath passing through noisily again.

"He's...." What? "He's so....."

"Difficult?"

So sure. Then again, she had lived with the man for over two decades. She knew more of him than Newt could. She could make sense of him, the things he did. The things he didn't. Wouldn't. Could have, but never.

It was Magda's turn to sigh then. "You two really are made for each other. He can't make sense of you either."

The last part she added when Newt gave her a curious look. He was still curious, if not a just a tad confused.

"S'not your fault really," she said, shifting to ease her knees under the dragon's heavy weight. "Either of you. You've both been broken in ways. You don't tell each other things, which is fine, you know. Men have got to have their secrets, but more importantly..."

Newt shifted when she paused. "More importantly?"

She spared him a meaningful look. "More importantly," she twinned their fingers, "you'll learn. He'll learn. Nothing makes sense now, and believe me, it won't for a long time, but it will. The moods, the drinking, the asking for company only to fly away-"

She stopped. A burst of laughter had sounded from the docks. Newt turned his head. His fiance, that strange man, was floating amongst his children, skipping listlessly between their maws and cackling when they snapped at nothing. A strange cackle, a melody, pleasant. Not at all like any other visage of the word. For a moment, Newt thought to New York. He must have heard it somewhere, sometime, within those weeks when they pretended that life was good and things were better. Strange that he'd only heard it now, this true melody, this genuine sound. Not the grin of a drunk man or the chuckle of a creature on verge of breaking down in tears by his feet. He wondered if that sound- if that sound could only be heard when its maker thought no one else was around or perhaps when he felt safe.

Was he only safe when dancing with teeth and pretending to be someone else's husband?

"I don't understand him," and Magda let out a sound that can only be thought as disparaging. "How can he be so- so different all of the time. Sad. He's always so sad all the time. I can never tell if he's smiling to humor me or if he actual wants to because he's happy."

Happy. What was happy to them? To people like Gellert Grindelwald and Newton Scamander? A beaten man's son and a neglected ex-husband? A monster with a broken heart and a magizoologist with too many pieces to give never sure if they fit?

Watching him, so caught in his own thoughts, Newt nearly missed the words that parted sternly from the keeper's lips.

"Pardon?"

"Go to him."

Newt swallowed as he turned. Magda held his gaze sharply as she cupped his hand.

"Go to him," she said, gentle but firm. "You said you didn't understand and I'll tell you this: you don't have to."

He didn't have to. He didn't have to understand.

"Go," she urged. "Enjoy him. Enjoy him. When that sadness is gone, he's the brightest thing, but you have to enjoy him. He goes quick, sometimes faster than you can blink, and you have to catch him. Don't think about the sadness. That's his to keep, but for you, give him something else. Go and take your piece and give him something else to remember."

Something else to remember. Something to bade away the sadness. The- the sluggishness.

Newt looked to the docks, to the man who was on them standing proud. For a split second their eyes met. A split second and Newt saw something he now realized- now realized he very much wanted to see more of. That's why I took the ring, the thought spun, I took the ring, but that's a shared piece, I want more-

-I need to give him more, and suddenly Newt knew what to do.

He got up.

|-]

Whew, that was a doozy. Hope you like it, @willofhounds. Hope this time it goes on smoothly. Enjoy!

[greatshell-rider]

With one finger pressed to the midnight blue fabric, Lani walked up the wall. Pocket dimensions were nice like that. She followed the thin line of gold embroidery up the straight wall, shaping the dimension as she walked into a smooth curve for easier ascent until she stood on the ceiling, crouching to keep her finger pressed to the thread. At the edge of her fingernail lay a small diamond formed by four stitches of shiny violet thread.

Lani smiled. It stretched from ear to ear and showed every glimmering tooth. “Found you,” she crooned. She pinched one of the stitches and with a quick jerk, tore it from the tight-woven fabric that made up the walls of this place. Three more tugs, and she held a single purple thread, thin and starting to unravel at the edges, in her fingers.

She stood up and brushed stardust off her knees. The silvery glitter didn’t float down, but away, spinning lazily through the open space of the Chart Room. The Room, whenever Lani first stepped inside, was typically a simple cube. Right now it was a crumbled mess, corners bent at strange angles, a wall or two rippling continuously like the waves of an ocean, with the only large section of smooth wall being where she stood now. One piece of wall was even twisted into a spiral, like a fusilli noodle. But regardless of the shape, every wall was made of a dark, blue-almost-black fabric embroidered with hundreds of thousands of lines, diamonds, and circles. Lines were gold, or sometimes green. Diamonds could be purple and orange and sometimes both. And circles were mostly red, stark and vibrant. Lani had only ever found one black one, and she’d lost it almost a second later, as it was nigh impossible to see against the dark blue-almost-black fabric. But it probably wasn’t a big deal anyway. In the grand scheme of things, few things ever were.

A nice thought. Lani tucked the purple thread behind her ear, then stretched her arms out wide, sending whorls of stardust swirling away. She stretched her fingers out wide as well, until it began to hurt, then slammed her palms together in a very big and loud CLAP. Silver dust exploded from her hands and all of the glitter floating in the space zipped in streams behind her in a sudden rush. She grinned at the sensation of the tiny particles skimming her clothes and cheeks, making her hair flare, and once not a single glinting speck remained in front of her, she stepped backwards.

And fell through an archway formed by the stardust. And this was where things went strange, because while a moment ago Lani had stepped back to fall backwards, suddenly she was instead pushed forward, propelled by a firm force on the small of her back. It didn’t feel exactly like whiplash. More like, of course she’d always been moving forward; silly of her brain to register that just now she was. But it did do funny things to her stomach. Jerry never failed to upchuck his latest meal upon exit, which was always amusing.

As it was, Lani kept her balance perfectly as she stepped back into the current “real world”. The glimmering silver archway behind her shone like an afterimage for just a second longer, then burst into dust that quickly faded into nothing—well, seemingly into nothing. It actually just returned to the pocket dimension. Well, she assumed it did. She couldn’t actually know, as she wasn’t there now, now was she?

Something to conduct an experiment on—later. Right now . . . Lani turned ninety degrees, and there they were. She smiled and walked up to Her Majesty the Queen Gesamhin Ce’Gurn the Resplendent, who was seated in her magnificent portable throne, the massive gilded chair carried on the shoulders of four brawny guards dressed in the crown’s scarlet and coppery-brown livery. A jester in a checkered black-and-white outfit sat perched on the throne’s armrest on the queen’s right, chin propped up on his fist as he stared moodily out over the marshlands. His gaze snapped to hers as Lani approached, and she sent him a wink. He glared back. Typical brothers.

Lani drew herself up tall and straight (as she could be) a respectable distance from the throne and bowed low, the bells of her jester suit—the match to Jerry’s, except checkered gold and white—jingling softly in the predawn quiet. And waited.

It was almost a full minute before the queen announced, quiet and neutrally-toned, “You’re late.”

It had been midnight when Lani had stepped into the Chart Room. Didn’t even comment on the cool magic trick, Lani sighed inwardly. In response to the queen’s accusation, Lani plucked the violet thread from behind her ear and held it out. She stayed bent over and silent.

“Sir Jester,” the queen said, and Lani heard the creak of the throne as Jerry hopped off it and the crunch of his footsteps as he walked to her.

“Hullo, Jerr-Bear,” she whispered once he stood over her.

“You owe me bad,” he growled, and she smirked as he snatched the thread from her hand, then stalked back to the queen. “Your Highness.” He held it up to her, flat on his palm. Lani craned her head up to watch.

The queen didn’t take it. She looked down at Jerry, painted face unreadable, brown eyes unblinking. A guard, one of the pair in the back, coughed. And Jerry sighed, then picked up the thread by one end and put it in his mouth, pulling it quickly through his lips so a nice solid layer of saliva got applied on there. He slapped it wet and dripping back onto his palm. “There, happy?” he snapped, which wasn’t how one should address an immortal being with sole power over a whole realm, but the queen had left the royal executioner behind, so now was the safest time and place for it.

Refusing to dignify him with a verbal response, the queen leaned down and delicately pinched the thread between forefinger and thumb, holding it up to study with those ever-staring eyes. “And you say this is real,” she said, in the same soft, detached voice.

Jerry huffed a sigh. “I swear it, Your Highness. She’s rarely been wrong.”

“And the truth spell holds strong?” the queen looked over her shoulder to the royal wizard, a gray rat swinging back and forth in a magic-woven hammock hanging in midair they’d conjured for themself. The rat chittered.

“So there is a low chance of deceit or betrayal,” the queen murmured, turning back to Jerry and Lani. Her gaze passed over Jerry, standing there with a scowl and folded arms, and settled on Lani, still folded over in her bow but for her head. Lani met her gaze and smiled.

Whatever she saw, it seemed to satisfy her. The queen blinked, just once, and inclined her head. Lani straightened, Jerry sighed again and shook his head, both their bells jingling. The queen handed the purple thread to the wizard rat, who promptly tied it into a bow.

“Lead us there, Lady Jester,” the queen told Lani, “and I will pardon you and your brother.”

“How about—” Lani began.

“This is not a negotiation,” the queen said flatly. “Remember our agreement. The Sir Jester speaks for you both, or I have your serpent’s tongue gagged.”

It was Lani’s turn to sigh. Jerry smirked.

“Will that be necessary, Lady Jester?” the queen asked quietly.

Jerry turned his head and bounced his eyebrows at her. Lani stuck her tongue out at him. He shrugged carelessly and turned back. “No, Your Highness. We will behave according to our agreement.”

“Very well. Give the Lady Jester her staff. Sir Jester, attend me.”

A guard tossed Lani a long length of polished wood that complemented the gold of her jester outfit nicely. She rubbed her hands up and down the grain while they waited for Jerry to clamber back up to the queen’s side, settling back on the armrest and stretching out in a full cat-like lounge. The queen traced an idle circle on his knee with her finger, unblinking eyes distant as she gave the command to move out. Lani struck out ahead of the throne and its contingent of guards, whacking the ground ahead of her with the staff to check its solidity before stepping there. That wasn’t its intended purpose, but Lani liked versatility in an object. Also it annoyed the rat. So.

Directly ahead, the sun peeked over the horizon, spilling warm rays over the marshland, and birds began to sing. Lani grinned, thinking back on the route she’d planned out in the Chart Room. Yeah. This would be an interesting quest. Lani had yet to see Her Majesty’s mask crack even a little, and if the dragon nest didn’t do it, well. She had many, many other surprises plotted. See, that was the fun part about being bound to a truth contract. Finding the holes, and if none were to be found, poking some of her own.

[restrainedcontrol]

3 A.M.

   It didn’t take long after the accident for Raphael to decide that he didn’t want to be around anyone.

   If Donatello was awake, he probably would have said something nerdy and needless about ‘self-preservation via isolation’ or how he didn’t need to worry. He could practically hear it now, clear and bright like every other day in the last seventeen years.      ‘Honestly, Raphael, it’s not that bad. It’ll heal, it’s just going to take some time. Keeping yourself away from everyone else is a bull-headed excuse to avoid dealing with what’s really bothering you, and it’s extremely counter-productive.’    Yeah, well.. Donnie wasn’t awake. So he didn’t get any say in it.

@boficionado​

   He never really went far. Topside, sure, but always back to the lair, always home by the time everyone was asleep. Never more than a few blocks away. The whole point was to just blow off his temper on creeps and criminals instead of down here with the rest of his family, but it really didn’t help much. He was still a lit flame on a very short fuse, ready to explode the second anyone spoke.    So, he stayed away.

   There are times, like now, when he doesn’t have to. When everyone is tucked into bed and long sleeping, when the only sounds in the lair are snores and the creaking pipe. It’s a strange place, where time doesn’t quite want to flow the way it should, and it’s where he gets his peace and quiet.    Quiet, anyway.

   Raph drops from the rafters in the lab with a low grunt, taking a quick glance around the room. Donatello being left alone during the night wasn’t a common occurrence. There had probably only been a collective few hours where the wounded brother had been alone at all, and it was those hours that Raph took the chance to come out and make sure that he wasn’t alone for more than a few minutes.    Donnie wouldn’t want to be alone like this. None of them would. Not with the injury he has, not with the machines hooked up to him, beeping away incessantly over the weeks. Even if Donnie isn’t awake to feel alone, it’s for the better that he isn’t. Only takes a minute for things to go horribly wrong, and he’d learned his lesson on that already.

     “Hey, Dee’.” Can he hear him? Maybe not, but he’s been doing alot of reading lately (which is shocking in itself, considering this is Raphael). Sometimes coma patients can hear things, and hearing all of this damned beeping can’t be good for anyone.    Raphael comes up to the bedside, green eyes flicking over his brother’s form. Still breathing. Still beeping. But he’s not one to trust the machines, so his hand shifts to Donnie’s wrist and rests there for a moment, until his anxiety is comforted by the gentle yet steady pulse beneath his scales.      “Still kickin’. I dunno what we were all worried about; you’re not about to let something like this take you out, hey?” Goodness, his knees are achy tonight. Raph plops himself down into the empty chair left beside the bed, sighing as he pulls off his gear. “You’d think a rage-filled turtle let loose on the city would keep crime down, but man, it’s brutal. They don’t take a break for anythin’. Tonight the Dragons were out by Murakami’s again, and we can’t have that. I showed them straight, don’t worry. Got a few good hits in for you. Your noodle bowl is safe.”

       This is stupid.

     “I heard Sebby sayin’ that you’re breathin’ better on your own now. That’s good, you gotta keep your lungs moving.” Keep breathing. “Maybe you’ll start moving the rest of you soon.”        Wouldn’t that be nice.    His breath comes out in a heavy sigh, and Raph lets his hand slide up and wrap around Donnie’s. It’s limp and pale, but still somewhat warm. His other hand comes up and adjusts the blanket a little higher, smoothing it out before he finally rests his elbow on the mattress beside Donnie’s shoulder.      “When you do decide to wake your grumpy ass up, I’ll help you get back in shape. You stay sleepin’ much longer and you’re gonna lose the muscles in your arms. We can’t have you looking even more skinny, people’ll think we run around with a skeleton or somethin’...”    Very nearly could have been.

   The nausea hits him like a truck, but he fights it down, ignoring the way his stomach twists in a vice at the thought. It’s fine, it’s fine. Donnie’s right here. He’s breathing, his heart’s beating, he’ll be up soon. He’ll sit up in the next little while, start complaining about something they messed up, and then probably get up and try to fix it. Yeah. Anytime now. It’s been long enough. Anytime, Donnie, the world’s waiting.

   Something breaks in his chest, and his voice finally follows and fails. Raph swallows the lump growing steadily in his throat, unable to keep his hand from shaking, unable to keep the fear from rising back up like a beast in his chest, threatening to wrap itself around him and strangle the air from his lungs.    Something breaks, and he knows he’s not getting a response.

     “You gotta hang in there, okay?” God, he hates it when his voice does that. “However long it takes for something to turn around. We need you, Donatello, and don’t you dare th-think that you can just w-wimp out on us. I won’t let you. Not if I have to drag -- if I have to-- N-”    There it goes.    Raph’s hand tightens with his shoulders as a hitch cuts through his breath, and it’s stolen into a sob that he can’t stop. His finger shifts to find that little beat under it, and he presses his face into his other arm, smothering the rest of his pain in the blankets.

   Something shatters.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: TokyoTreat Oct 19

I think I’m doing pretty good progress wise, please be patient with me as I continue to try to review old boxes~

“October is here, bringing with it those spooky Halloween vibes! Halloween has been growing in popularity in recent years, and since Japan loves their seasonal snacks we had plenty of new, interesting items to choose from! In the spirit of being spooky but kinda cute, we’ve created a Poke-Monster Night for you to enjoy! No sharing these tricky snacks though!“

For this months contest, the winner could receive figures of Naruto and Sasuke from Naruto, while runner-ups won a cute pokeball candy and stamp. Lucky Treat consisted of Full Metal Alchemist, Dragon Quest, AND three devil fruits from One Piece, the Gomu Gomu (Gum), Mera Mera (Flame), and Ope Ope (Operation. Also, they accidentally mislabeled as the “dark dark fruit”). I was very excited that they included the 3 belonging to 3 of my favorite characters~

Pokemon Ramune & Strange Syrup DIY

(Please see top pic for images)

For this month, we get a basic, straight-laced ramune drink. Thank goodness :P as much as I like to try new flavors, sometimes I forget the original is probably the best... especially in comparison to those yucky flavors that I’m still traumatized by <_< and this month we even get a really cute pokemon label.

Ramune is basically that “soda“ flavor you’ll see in Japanese candy. It has a sweet, sort of lemon-ish taste but its not sour. It’s a little like sprite, but in my opinion it tastes way better. It’s especially yummy whenever it’s warm out or if you worked up a thirst. It’s also really fun to open because of the marble inside!

If you have ever wanted to try out Ramune, I would suggest checking on Amazon (they have a variety of fruit flavors too), or maybe the Japan Haul website (the website made through Tokyo Treat and its various brands).

- - - - -

The DIY I just included a bonus pic of because I’ve done it several times. It’s a super-sticky, thick syrup like candy that only requires you to mix the 3 flavors, which are strawberry, soda, and lemon. Together they make grape... which looks like this:

Because this candy was a little old, I think it was a bit off. The lemon and soda flavors were fine, but I noticed that not only was strawberry orange instead of pink, which might explain this... greenish-honey color. It’s usually a little purple if I recall.

Also, it didn’t really taste like grape this time, and it wasn’t as good in my opinion- but I guarantee if you open it as soon as you get it, it tastes much better. If you don’t like sticky/gooey textures you might wanna skip this one though.

Halloween Milk Senbei & Bloody Cola Marshmallow

Since I subscribed like 3 years ago, I’ve only seen senbei in a box once; I was very excited to see it again! It’s stuff like this I wish they would include more of, because I want to try the unique foreign flavors you know?

Anyway, the milk senbei is a plain, very thin melt-in-your mouth cracker-like snack that pretty much tastes like ice cream cone, but a teensy bit sweeter. This one comes with a cola flavored sauce to put on top of it. Each 1 (or one pack, not sure) is around 25-27 calories.

♥ ♥ ♥

I really like the taste of ice cream cones, I don’t know why, I just always have. Meanwhile, the jelly/sauce is purple, but it indeed tastes like cola ♥ it’s very yummy. However... together, they get a strange taste and that I’m not very fond of. I can’t even describe it, but its weird. But eating it in small doses is tolerable.

- - - - -

Speaking of cola, we also got a really cute marshmallow filled with a cola jelly! It’s like they combined two of my favorite things~

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s very soft and yummy, the jelly inside tastes about the same as the sauce from the prior item, but it tastes so much better with the marshmallow.

Apple Pie Kit Kat & Brown Sugar Sweets

Instead of orange kit kats this year, we get to see fun purple one :D these kit kats are inspired by an apple pie. As you can see they also come in a large pack to share with others or to eat yourself. Each pack is 65 calories. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I love the coloring of these, first of all. It’s such a pretty purple, and its fun too. The apple flavor is very prominent, and it has a very small hint of spice, while the wafer brings to mind a sugary crust. It’s sweet, but mildly.

- - - - - -

These are popular for their melty and soft texture, with a very thin, crisp layer of rich brown sugar coating. Each one of these is 17 calories.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

These are kinda basic, but it’s a yummy sweet that isn’t overly sugary. I think it goes good with the apple pie kit kat, and maybe some milk.

Disappearing Taste?! Mixed Gummies, ZomB Grape Gum, & Blue Green Soda Gum

We got 3 gums this month! Our first is very familiar, because we’ve had this gum before. The only difference is this is its washed out, slightly different cousin. Basically, you’re given a set of flavors of gum, in this case yogurt, strawberry, orange, and white grape/muscat. You can eat them as is, or mix the flavors to make new ones, like a fruit drink, melon soda, or different fruits.

What makes this one special however, is that there is a special gumball that supposedly makes the flavor disappear? I mean, isn’t that what gum does normally?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

This gum is really nice, you get a lot of them per-resealable pouch, and the flavors are always pretty good. Plus I like how the gum is smooth and soft in texture. I didn’t really notice any difference with this one from the last pack I had other than flavors.

- - - - -

Next up, we have the ZomB Gum; a popular Halloween item that we have seen before; I think about 2 or so years back, when we got the red cola vampire version. What makes this gum really fun is that it colors your tongue as you chew it, and it has a delicious grape flavor.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

This gum has the same texture as the other gum, so I really like it. The color effect isn’t nearly as strong as the package shows, but it’s a cute little gimmick, and it tastes great. The flavor lasts about 5 minutes.

- - - -

Our last gum is another brand I’ve had before. I have had both this flavor, and their cola version. It’s pretty much the same concept as the ZomB gum (they’re made by the same brand), but its in two sticks and you get a soda flavor, and a melon flavor.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I’d pretty much say the same things as I did about the previous two gums. All three were delicious and I would recommend any of them.

Poteco Pumpkin Gratin & Pringles

Here we have two salty, savory snacks for the box. But of course, the Poteco are not new to us, in fact I think last Halloween we got the exact same pack; minus slightly different packaging. Poteco is good and all, but I got so tired of seeing it that I tend to... shy away from it now. This flavor wasn’t really that different from the original/normal Poteco either.

- - - - -

I was a lot more excited for this item, a unique pack of Japanese Pringles :D Looking at the package, this is a type of ramen or noodle bowl flavor. It’s a mystery item in the booklet so I’m not really sure, but for this small can it is 267 calories!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Honestly, these are so yummy that I don’t even care how many calories there are. The flavor is very strong, it tastes exactly like this cup ramen I like to buy. Trying to describe the flavor, I would say it’s sort of like beef or soy sauce broth, with a hint of a corn taste?

Pokemon Halloween Chocolate & Pikachu Gummies

These are both snacks we’ve had before, so I’ll try to just gist this one.

These crispy snacks are shape like pikachu heads and come in fun, colorful packaging featuring a variety of Pokemon, while the back usually has a fun puzzle or image. Each bag is 83 calories and they are by the brand Tohato.

These are really yummy x3 they have a slightly bitter chocolate taste and remind me a lot of the coco crispy cereals.

- - - - - -

The other snack is also pikachu-shaped, but besides its head, there are also the occasional tail you might find ;3 These are by Lotte, and each pack is 90 calories. The flavor is grape and they taste really good too.

The only real thing to bother me about these is that they didn’t cut the gummy around Pikachu’s ears. It’s a minor thing but it bothers me a little.

Halloween Corn Potage Umaibo

Okay, so... because I talk about this a lot, I’m not actually planning on saying anything about it this time :P long story short, corn potage Umaibo is the best.

Squid Legs & Halloween Pizza Corn Snack

Don’t let the name fool you, these are not real squid legs- they just have a fishy taste. I’ve had these before too, and I have fairly complex feelings about them. On one hand they don’t taste terrible, but I don’t like seafood and the flavor is still unappealing to me. I like their crunchy texture though.

- - - - -

Next up is this corn puff snack featuring a delicious pizza flavor! They taste exactly like the pizza-flavored combos, if you never had those before I would recommend them too~

Pokemon Cola Chewing Candy

This is our final item... and now that I look at it, it kinda looks like a wafer cookie doesn’t it?

Anyway, these are sticks of chewing candy that come in various series and flavors. Before we had some grape Thomas the Tank Engine ones, and this time we get some cola Pokemon. Each wrapper usually includes a unique design, craft, or puzzle of some sort.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ I don’t know if these are hard because they had to sit around for a while, or because that is just how they are. I don’t remember the Thomas ones being so hard, but they weren’t as thick as these. But if you suck on them for a few minutes they soften up, or you can crunch them to softness. The flavor is very yummy, I think it might be my favorite cola flavored item in the box.  

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4.5 out of 5. Everything is very yummy, even though a fair amount of it was repetitive. I really liked it. Theme - 4 out of 5. Well, given the packaging and theme, I could say yeah they did pretty good. We had a decent amount of Pokemon items, but they could have done a little more too I think. Total Rank: 9 out of 10. I really liked this box, I just wish maybe we would have had a couple more unique items.

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

(I’m sorry, but by this point I’m not really feeling well. I want to finish the review so that I can go lay down DX)

[not-poignant]

How much do you think the stories we tell influence human behaviour? Do you think more stories about people greeting aliens with willingness to learn instead of hostility would change the prevalence of xenophobia, for example? Can you spread kindness and patience through fairy tale? Love your work by the way.

I mean, we don’t really have time to unpack the role of stories and narratives when it comes to human behaviour. The Wikipedia page alone is like a whole overwhelming plethora of information, people spend their entire lives devoted to understanding the role of story and storytelling in cultures (who all use storytelling to convey histories, myths, value systems and more) and I did my entire BA and half an MA in media studies and all media is, is stories on the screen.

The impact that stories have on human behaviour - from the stories in the Bible to the oral histories of the Indigenous Australians that have stretched back some 60,000 years, to the legends that spring up through the mass media machine - is incalculable and difficult to comprehend precisely because it is so profound, and it’s built into who we are as people. There is an entire therapeutic modality based solely around storytelling, because it’s considered so transformative and so fundamentally recognisable to the human psyche.

Story is how our identities are shaped as children. Whether the kid is plopped in front of the television or read to painstakingly from books. The stories of gender in the world around us, the stories of ‘this is how a woman should act and this is how a man should act’ (and how damaging they are), the stories we don’t see about ourselves if we’re minorities or oppressed, the stories of oppressors falsely raising certain groups up above others (the middle class and/or affluent, white people, able-bodied people, straight people, cis people, sexual people, romantic people), and then of course the stories of the underdogs, meant to give strength.

Stories can’t just be about spreading kindness and patience though. Obviously, some are. We have a ton of fairytales about just that, some in fact cultivate and reflect extreme attitudes of feminine passivity (consider: Cinderella -> just be good and nice while suffering horrendous abuse and magic will save you!) In fact, some fairytales have become so sanitised with niceness and kindness, that a lot have needed to be rewritten, to shape new narratives that introduce and valourise other qualities as well.

And people choose the narratives they want around them. There are a lot of narratives and stories that are about greeting the ‘other’ (whether aliens, or fae, or whatever metaphor you want to insert here) with kindness and patience instead of hostility already. There are a lot of narratives and stories that show wanting to greet the ‘other’ with hostility (see: Arrival - I kind of wanted to mention Ender’s Game here but Orson Scott Card is a homophobic asshole and I’m still cut up about it) and then you see humans change as they learn more (which is actually more realistic to human nature tbh). There are like, countless children’s books, especially now, that cultivate embracing what is different to one’s self. But if you’re not choosing to be around those narratives, you won’t see them as easily.

And also, narratives around overcoming xenophobia need to be really damn careful that they don’t also present themselves as ‘kindly saviour white oppressors are here to help the aliens/fae/metaphor for you know, minorities, and save the day.’ That’s...ah...to put it delicately, fucking problematic as hell. Like, kindness and patience here can come across an awful lot like paternalism, it has to be done carefully and with awareness. It helps when it’s balanced, or, even better, when it’s not only told through the lens of a dominant paradigm, and the voices of those on the receiving end of xenophobia are lifted up and respected.

Meanwhile the concept of the Other, both in psychology and narrative, is a whole other thing that we don’t have time to unpack here. But anon, psychologists, narrative experts and more have been noodling over this subject for as long as it’s been possible to noodle over this subject.

A lot of the questions you’re asking already have answers by people far more experienced than me, y’know? We know kindness and patience can be spread through fairytales, we have the fairytales to prove it, and we have generations of very passive women (and AFAB people) who were strongly influenced by it. (Kindness and patience isn’t wrong by nature, but just because the words sound nice, doesn’t mean they always have a nice influence depending on your target audience or how you’re portraying them). We already have huge blockbuster movies designed around ‘hostile population or member of population meets something always treated with hostility: and begins to show it care and everyone benefits’ - see: How to Train Your Dragon.

We have growing populations of younger folk, who are more accepting, more left-leaning (and attacked for it), and more willing to look outside of themselves and their lived experiences. Obviously not across the board, but certainly, I think narratives have already changed these things (the prevalence of xenophobia, for example), even as they reinforce these things as well. And sometimes they look like they’re changing it on the surface, but are just reinforcing it on the surface. And sometimes they’re changing it in one way, and reinforcing it in another way. No stories avoid being problematic, after all.

But anyway, I think it’s possible to see the shift in the populations around us, especially the younger generations who are often exposed to the newest stories, the newest retellings of fairytales, the newest films with their messages etc. It’s pretty amazing.

And in the meantime, the impact of storytelling, welp, as to the ‘how much’ - the best scholars in the world are still trying to determine that. The only consensus they all have is that the influence is: A Lot, lol.